Warren Buffet... 5 minutes of Your Time, Sir...

Ok, so I know you shouldn't talk politics b/c it causes fights and all but this is awesome.

And BTW I am voting RON PAUL 2012- hopefully he gets the nomination!!!  He doesn't get nearly the media attention he deserves, but he gets more support from the troops than anyone (that i can see), and that should stand for ALOT!


Fixing the DEFICIT!!! This is amazing!!!  Anyone know how we could get something like this started to be put in motion?  It's gotta be more than write your congressman, b/c in this case it won't really work...  Wish Gene Taylor was still in office for MS!
Any ideas, please comment!

Warren Buffett, "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all
sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. The 26th
amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months
& 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in
1971...before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to
the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the
land...all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of
twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do
likewise.
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the
message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office
and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All
funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security
system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system,
and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for
any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans
do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the
same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American
people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen
made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor,
not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours
should serve their term's), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take
three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is
time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree with the above, pass it on.

Loves to all, 

Katie

Just Another Day in Paradise :)

FOR PAUL: ABRIDGED... I'm happy school started, I'm gonna miss you, I love you, I'm going to MS for holidays and I'm happy we are married :) Love you. 


I can't help but be in a great mood.  I have a super, wonderful, awesome hubby- 2 awesome (when they aren't fighting) kids and today is the 1st day of school!  Yay!  I know- most of you are probably like wtf.  But I love school!  I am a perfectionist though, so that leads to being very OCD about assignments, papers, etc.  Hey but it always leaves me with an A at the end :)  or B in the case of Math ugh.  Which by the way I have to take again and I will not be yay-ing about that!  Damn ASHFORD UNIVERSITY! The math I took doesn't xfer! Super sad!  

Anyways, yes, so I start WRTG 101 today (it's a pre req for all my 300 COMM courses, even though I already took writing and English :/ )  And Sociology 300!  Scary!  Not really, everyone I talk to says SOCY is boring!  So I hopefully will do fine.  My instructors seem cool.  One I won't ever meet due to being online but my SOCY professor I meet on Wed for my first face to face college class!  Exciting!  I know I sound like I should be going on vacation or talking about winning the lottery, but it's only school lol.  Oh well!

Other than that, Paul leaves in about 10 days or so.  I won't say the place, but I will show you a pic...

Yeah!  I know!  He even gets a tiki hut with his hotel! 

  
I'm excited for the place he is going (it's awesome) but sad b/c I don't want to miss him again so soon.  But I know the ropes....  Having been there done that before...


   




So since he won't be home for the holidays, I am taking the girls to their dad's so they can see him and his family. And I am off to MISSISSIPPI to see mine!!!  Woot!  2 weeks!  Can I handle the chaos that long???  bahahaha jk :) I can!  I hope I can get the girls for a day if their dad decides to come to MS to see his sister!  I wanna take the girls to see Momo Nell!  She sure misses them!!!!  

So over the next couple months we have a lot going on!  And on top of that, something tells me soon we will have a new addition to the family!......
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..
..
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I'm trying to talk Paul into a puppy!  What did you think?  I was preggers?  Not yet, but hopefully soon!  :)))

Anyways, things are going awesome.  I couldn't be happier, well maybe I could with $1M, a baby, big house, new car and a puppy, but other than that- I couldn't be happier :) haha jk!  I'm in a jokester mood right now :)))
Really I am so super happy with my life and how it is becoming everything I've ever wanted!  I am lucky!  

Loves to you all,
Katie

Being Grateful... Simplicity Explains It...

Today was a pretty good day.  It started like any other day.  I woke up late.  Story of my life.  Damn.

I forgot I had to take Paul to work today b/c I needed the car.  So he comes in 20 min before he has to leave and says...  So I guess you aren't taking me to work?  I fly outta bed... OMG I FORGOT!  And a few expletives leave my mouth as well, but we will leave those out :)

I am flying thru the house, getting kids up and dressed, getting myself- well, DECENT to leave the house (this include undergarments and a coat of powder and mascara and hair pulled in a pony).  Kids amazingly get up and dressed with NO FIGHTING!  That is so unheard of in our household!  I was so thankful for a great morning even if it was super duper rushed!!! Anyways, so we all get out the door at 7:04 am (4 min late but still good!).  He makes it to work ON TIME (YEA!) and to make a long story short- Madison makes it to school and Emily and I make it home to get ready (real ready) for our morning!

We get ready and head to the grocery store (before 9am!  another unheard of moment!).  We are going thru getting all the needed groceries for Emily's party Friday!  Stuff for cupcakes, fruit kabobs, veggie tray, finger sandwiches, homemade brownies, chips, drinks, etc.  And then... in the dairy section...  I see something that makes me to happy!  I exclaim- Oh my Gosh- It's here!!!!   (pretty loudly!) It was my all time fav coffee creamer!  Peppermint Mocha.

I know, I know, what is so great about this?  Well, IDK- it's just my fav and  I was so happy!  It is when I can feel like I'm ready for the holidays!  It is like Christmas in my coffee mug!  The smell, the freshness of the mint and the warmth of the mocha and then the AHHHHHHHH that comes after that first morning sip!

After getting home and having that AHHHHHH moment with my holiday in a cup, I think about life.  It's the little things I really am grateful for!  I'm grateful for this creamer!  It makes me happy every time I wake up- I just wanna have a cup of coffee before anything else to start my day off happy!

But of course I'm grateful for much more than creamer and coffee!  I'm grateful for so many things, big and small.  I am thankful everyday to wake up and have my family, to have 2 very intelligent, gorgeous daughters, the most amazing husband I could ever ask for, an amazing family back home in MS and the family in UT!  I'm thankful for the few people who are my very best friends!  Also, for the great opportunity to be able to travel to places most people dream about.  I am grateful for the experience the military gave me, but I am also so grateful to be out and to be able to actually spend time with my family!

I am so very thankful for Paul being awesome at Madison's weekly math problems!!!   I don't understand most of them, especially this week's 3-d one... and here he is- helping Madison!  He is so awesome with them (and that is something to be so very grateful for!).




I am so grateful for the ability to put a smile on people's faces either by talking, baking or just being my goofy self.  All of the material things we own are beyond nice and that is always something to be thankful for!

And I am grateful for the little things that make me smile.

I try to capture it with pictures lately...

Sometimes it's baking and sometimes just scenery!  But it never fails to make me smile and feel at ease.

I know there are probably many things I didn't mention, but all in all, I am grateful for the things, people and experiences life has presented.   So many times we fail to focus on what we have and what we are grateful for- instead we focus on the negative.  So if you are reading this, stop and take a minute to be grateful for what/who you have in your life.
And in those moments of negativity, try to focus on this- the small things (and big things) you are grateful for.  Because I always like to say- There is always someone worse off then you- so it isn't that bad.  And like the Bible says- He will never put more on you than you can handle.

Stay positive, stay thankful and stay happy :)

Loves to all-
Katie

Bored...

im bored and i don't feel like typing correctly tonight lol.  I'm laying in bed right now and can't sleep.  i know why...  its because i worked out too late tonight and my body and brain are still in hyper mode.  yay.  its 10 pm my time and well, of course the house is quiet!  so quiet that my fingers hitting the keys on my macbook sound so loud.  I'm trying not to wake paul.  lol.

so tonight's workout was another round of pure cardio!  and i loved every minute.  well, except the minute that i went to swipe my towel to catch my sweat and ended up slinging my iPod across the gym room floor.   yeah.  the towel caught the cord and *ffeewwwwmmm** there it goes, lodged itself right up under some lady's treadmill.    

I had to ask her to stop so I could grab it.  She looked at me like she might-a been "bitches be crazy"...  but then she helped me.  and i got it back.  oops.  sorry. 

anyways, other than that- workouts are going great.  i am down 3.8 lbs and counting.  you know whats funny.  i hated, dreaded absolutely could not stand working out while i was in the military.  i just freaking hated it.  dreaded pt and tests.. just ugh.  and now- that I'm out and i don't have anyone telling me i HAVE to do things a certain way- i am enjoying it!!!! like for real!  woot woot!  

hmmm  ok enough about working out.  what else...  

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ok i can't think of anything else right now :) so i guess i will close.  hope everyone is having a good day/night.  

loves to you all (minus a few of you- you know who u are) hehe

Katie

Getting Healthy- Not Skinny

So today is a new beginning.  Yeah I know I've said this before, but this time is different. I am on my way to a new me- a new me without gimmicks like HCG, fad diets, etc.  I am working out on a regular basis and actually enjoying it!  What the hell?  Enjoying it?  Yes!  
It started out with Zumba.  My friend Arden and I were nervous, but we wanted to try it b/c not only did it look like so much fun, but also looked like a good workout!  Yes it was.  From day one, we were hooked!!!!  We have been 2x a week now for about a month.  I even bought a multi class pass!  
So over the last week, after I leave Zumba, I think, man, I still wanna work out, I'm actually excited to workout.  So I decided to add in 2x more workouts a week.  I needed to start slow b/c too many times I have jumped in - balls to the wall- and done too much too fast- which with me- gets me burned out fast and I give up (oh how many times this has happened!) or I get hurt and quit.
So nice and slow...  We did 2 classes a week (Tue & Thur) for a month and today was the start of my additional 2x workouts (Mon & Fri).  I'm starting with 45 min of cardio with a 5 min warmup and 5 min cool down.  Today went great.  I felt like I got in my zone and worked it!  441 calls/ 4.1 miles/ 40 (workout) minutes later and I was drenched and feeling accomplished!  

My goal is yes to lose weight, but not to be skinny or look like a model- hello- I;m almost a 30 yr old mom of 2, wife and full time student.  I don't expect my body (after what I've put it thru) to look like I'm 20 again!  But I can be healthy!  My overall goal of how I see things is- I don't care how much I weigh (within reason), I wanna be able to fit into certain clothes and look nice.  I want to have my curves, I want to look nice, healthy and curvy, b/c I am a woman.  
I used to think- I just wanna be skinny, I wanna do this or that or be like so-an-so.  No, I am me.  And I'm ok with that.  I am loved for who I am.  So, with that being said...  I am on my new found road.  A road that expands the mind, a road that clears my previous "I can't" attitude, a road that is going to be anything and everything I want it to be from here on out.  
It IS all about attitude.  You can do ANYTHING and get ANYTHING you believe in and set your mind to. If you dwell on the negative, that is all that will follow you.  But dwell on the positive and believe in the positive and it will happen!  
If you need help understanding this- watch The Secret and really listen.  There are a few of you out there I KNOW this can help!  
Loves to all!
Katie

Lions- Tigers- and... CREEPERs... Oh My!

Well, last weekend Paul and I and another couple took all the kids to the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart (http://www.wilhelma.de/).  It was a beautiful weekend!  The air was warm and inviting, the skies were blue and the kids were all excited (ok I was too).  This zoo is the biggest in Germany and has a good rep for an awesome family day trip!  


So the day starts out with a 2 hour car ride...  an hour to find parking... but hey- they kids aren't fighting!  So WIN!  We found parking and it wasn't too far away (another WIN), we pay and go in!  Looks cool so far!  Since it is lunch time by now, we stop and eat before getting to far away from food and pottys!  


Now... we are on our way!  We see birds first...  more birds...  and more birds!  Then monkeys...  Holy monkey!  Germans must love these things b/c I've never seen so many exhibits dedicated to monkeys and birds!  


After about 30 min of monkeys and birds we start seeing other animals- YAY!  And it is at this point I notice something.  Well, this guy...  He just smells horrible.  Super bad BO and I turn to leave and see him.  He is wearing a white collar shirt and jeans with a belt, brown shoes, has a blue backpack and a camcorder.  His clothes look like they haven't been washed in about a week and he had been playing in a dust bowl.  His hair and hygiene left me feeling dirty just for standing by him.  He gave me the creeps.  I told the kids to c'mon and we went to the next exhibit.  


I didn't really pay him or the situation much attention...  He was alone and I thought he was just another person (just dirty) enjoying the zoo.  Well about 30 min later, I noticed him again.  Close to the kids as we (parents) were about 15 ft back letting the kids up front to enjoy the animals...  I thought it was strange to see him again in such a HUGE zoo.  


Then it got even creepier.  I saw him at every exhibit we stopped at.  When we stopped he would either stop too or act like he was walking in a different direction (away from us) and then come back when we started moving.  


He would stand close and far at times.  I just made sure to keep the kids close.  Then I noticed he started using the camcorder.  Just pointing it around and all.  I couldn't tell what  he was filming, but it was always in the direction of the animals (and the kids).  


Finally, I told Paul.  I was really getting creeped out.  We had been being followed now for about 2 hours.  And it wasn't like we were running into him on accident or vice versa.  His deliberate actions, eye contact and movements were no accident.  He was following us.  


We started making odd moves, turns and basically going in a circle, going down a wrong turn and backing up just to make sure I wasn't crazy (and to see if he really was following).  Yep, every move we made, he followed.  WTF dude!  Now I am freaking a lot.  I tell my friend Arden...  We take the kids to the big cafe towards the entrance.  Get them ce cream and us coffee..  Guess who decides to walk by.  Yep!  Then we sit in a glass encased room... and Mr. Creeper sits down outside the room facing us so he can see us.  OMG.  At this point I wanna be hysterical.  I want to go ask this dude WTF his deal is.  Paul and Arden hold me back saying it isn't a good idea especially if this guy is crazy or delusional.  


We finish out treats and Jay (Arden's hubby) says- go to the gift shop.  There is only 1 way in/out.  We mingle around some stuffed animals while the guys go talk to a zoo worker to try and find the zoo po-po (police).   I ask Arden- do you see him.  Madison says, that guy behind you thats been following us?  I turn and he is RIGHT BEHIND US.  I freak the hell out as if there was a giant tarantula on me (I hate spiders).  I ask Arden- what do you think he wants?  She says that we have 4 gorgeous daughters and he probably isn't after the adults.  This made me so scared.  And then I got mad.  I was thinking of everything I could physically do to protect us.  Thinking ok, there are 2 dude, 2 women and 5 kids (4 girls and a baby boy).  


Then the guys come back and say we need to head to the exit and talk to the guard people there.  We do and then we don't see Mr. Creeper!  I bet these folks thought we were making it all up.  Ugh!  4 hours of being followed and video'ed and scared and then he is gone.  


We had a 1/2 mile to walk to our car and the whole way, one guy was in front and one in the back, watching, waiting to attack this creep!  But he was gone.  


That night, getting home, getting kids in bed, reflecting on the day, I got scared in my own house! Even though it is on an AFB.  It took me 2 hours to fall asleep and all i kept thinking was if someone ever tried to hurt my family- without hesitation, I will kill them.  No doubt.  


In closing, my quote for this experience is this one (modified a tad) from 
Miss Congeniality- Gracie Hart: And if anyone, anyone tries to hurt one of my new friends (FAMILY), I would take them out. I would make them suffer so much that they'd wish they 
were never born. And if they ran, I would hunt them down. Thank you!


So just remember to keep your kids close.  Creepers are everywhere and anywhere.  Parents are more free- teating their kids go off and play, walk to friends', etc and this makes it easy to target.  I definitely am not trying to sound paranoid, but kidnapping isn't going away.  Just be proactive and take precautions...  Kids are precious and life is too short!


I love you Madison and Emily!!!