The Stanalands

Friday

We decided to take a break and head to Washington DC for the weekend. Adventure here we come! The first adventure we experienced was leaving my blood pressure medication behind. Of course my feet swelled up like Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade floats, and the shoes that I was wearing were NOT comfortable with swollen feet. Thankfully, I can think on my feet, swollen or not. I called my local Kroger pharmacist to see about transferring my prescription to DC. The person that I spoke to (the person that handles my medication, mind you) actually asked me what state Washington DC was in. huh? Really? Yes. It gets better! When we arrived in DC we called the local CVS pharmacy. When giving my information to the person that would be handling my medication there she asked what state I was from. She then says “Atlanta, right?” huh? Really? Yes.

We took a walk to the pharmacy and couldn’t help but notice that there were quite a few “palaces”. As a matter of fact, there were two kabob palaces on either side of a schezhuan palace. One of the kabob palaces also happened to be a hookah bar. We took pictures.

We opted to return to the hotel for the night since it was almost 9. We grabbed some sandwiches (to-go) from the hotel bar and headed back up to our room to watch Battlestar Gallactica. Yes, even on vacation we don’t want to miss our sci-fi Fridays. We watched our shows and headed off to sleep for the night.

We booked our hotel through hotels.com, thinking it would be easier. Ha! No, our booking got lost in cyberspace.

***NOTICE***Hotels.com is still charging our credit card and now so is the hotel we stayed in. it will take up to 30 day to get our hotels.com refund, and we will have to pay the hotel itself. Bummer.

Sleep number beds

Our hotel was very nice. Every room had sleep number beds. Since Brian and I both wanting/needing a new mattress, we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to test the sleep number beds and see if they were worth the cost. Our verdict after the first night was absolutely not. It was like sleeping on a thick air mattress. You could feel the bladder as you inflated and deflated it. We awoke to back aches both mornings. We will not be getting a sleep number bed!

Saturday

We slept in a few extra minutes on Saturday morning because of our sci-fi Friday addiction. We left the hotel at 10am with the intention of finding breakfast. The breakfast bar at the hotel was $13 and neither of us were THAT hungry. So we walked. Then, we walked some more. After that, you guessed it, we walked some MORE. We finally wound up at the mall. DC has the most amazing layout! You can travel by foot for miles, get to so many places, and never see the sun because of all the underground walkways. The trains are amazing, clean, efficient and easy to get to from anywhere. I digress. We were in the underground shopping mall and stopped at the Dunkin Donuts for breakfast/lunch. From there, we walked back over to the train and headed for the Smithsonian (after a brief and picture-less trip to the pentagon) to see the amazing artifacts collected through the years. As we exited the subway station, the skies looked threatening. We were able to enter and exit the first Smithsonian bldg (the castle, which holds Smithson’s remains) before getting rained on. When we entered the second bldg, the bottom fell out of the sky. We walked around looking at the fossils of dinosaurs and other various and sundry creatures. We even saw a bull that had been mummified. Amazingly, the bull was neater to see than the mummified man was.

This would be a great time in my life to start a list of all the things I don’t care about. I won’t start the list here and now because it would get excessively long.

So the rain subsided long enough to buy 2 umbrellas and 2 carousel tickets. Just as we stepped off the carousel, the rain started once again. At this point our umbrellas were keeping our heads and torsos dry, but our shoes, socks and feet were getting soaked. I highly advise never walking any great distance in this manner. My feet are going to be uglier than your grandpa’s after this weekend.

We finally make it to the air & space museum and I was in awe of the sights. My feet were absolutely killing me and we were getting hungry. At some point, my feet lost consciousness and I had to sit and rest. We left the National Air and Space museum and started to make a go at the Washington monument. We walked for a while and didn’t seem to be making any progress. I was so hungry at this point, and my feet hurt so badly I was starting to feel like a dying member of the Dahmer party.  I suggested that we head back toward the metro and have dinner at the hotel. (they had these pecan crusted pork chops that I had been thinking about for at least an hour at this point) by the time we returned to our hotel room and were able to release our poor tired feet from their wet encasements, we had been on our feet for at least 7 long hours. My spa tub has never looked so good. Dinner was awesome, and filling. We ate and were back in our room by 7:15, by 7:38 the lights were off and we were snuggled in for the night. I have no memory of anything past 8. 

Sunday

Brian and I awoke extra early. (Or a little late depending on how you look at it) we were both awake by 5. We got out of the bed by 6:30, and had both had a shower and could have been out the door by 7 if we had so desired. We didn’t so desire. We left the room closer to 10ish. First destination…food, second destination Arlington national cemetery. I don’t generally care for cemeteries. There are dead people there. It was a great aerobic walk, and we were able to see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as the changing of the guard.

At 3pm on Sunday, after our visit to Arlington we returned to the metro. The plan was to continue on as to visit the national zoo. Our train was delayed because someone was struck by the train at the Smithsonian station. The initial announcement was that someone was struck, subsequent announcements stated medical situation. Our train arrived, we boarded and each stop was delayed and we spent at least 5 minutes at each stop. By the time we got to the transfer station it was way past the time we should have been at the airport. We decided to just head back to the hotel for our bags and hit the airport.  It’s strange, but we chose a flight in to DC that had been delayed because of instrument problems, and we are currently sitting in line (10th in line) waiting to take off. The 9 planes full of people in front of us aren’t going anywhere either…we are delayed due to bad weather. **NOTE** We actually took off after sitting in the plane in a parking space for over two hours…and then the flight itself was about two hours.

We finally made it home. We are tired. We want sleep…

We are constantly digging. Digging out of holes, digging into work, digging away at problems…

I get tired of digging. I want a life like I see on television. *the voice says* “Telvision isn’t real Valerie”. SO?? Why can’t it be like that? Why can’t all of the kids behave at one time? They are all fully capable of behaving for long periods of time, why can’t they just get it together, together.

Every day there is a new problem to be dealt with. (And not one that can be solved in 30 minutes to an hour with commercial breaks either!!) I remember that there were a few months in there where nothing happened, no one cried, and there were no major upsets that caused the entire house to be at odds. Where did those months come from? Where did those months go? Am I fooling myself?

Well, either way…my lunch has ended and I have to go back to filing extensions.

You know, I can’t believe that I haven’t blogged since Christmas!! Wow!

 Today was my birthday. A lot of people remembered, and called with well wishes. Some people forgot. Well, some forgot and one just acted like it was just another day, after sending a “Happy Birthday” text message. Seriously??? That’s all I get?

 Ingrate? Me? Maybe. But I try to make special days more special for the ones that I love and kind of thought that they would do the same for me. Apparantly N-O-T. Next year I am going to plan my own damned day and not invite anyone to join me. They are going to have to call 911 and see if I have been arrested, hit by a car, or kidnapped. I am going to get up on the morning of my birthday and not come back until the whole stupid day is over. It will be the one day of the year that I will not be reachable via cell phone. I am really sick of being let down. I think that I should be able to get my hopes up just ONCE and not have all the wind let out of my sails.

 I could go on and on, but why bother? Who really cares? Besides, I am going to publish this and take my behind to bed. *pllbblbbt*

Its that time of year again. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care…in hopes that that St. Nicholas will come and go and we get our house back together just in time to pack it up to move to the new house. YAY! A bigger house! (I will talk about that in another blog later on…I am here to talk about Christmas with the kids)

This year is a little different than the ones in the past. Instead of having all six kids throughout the Christmas holidays, we have only had two (Nathan and Taylor). Today we gained a third (Clinton). We will get two more back on Christmas Eve (Andrew and Brendon), and we get #6 back on New Year’s Eve (Charlotte).

Last year we had all six kids, plus both sides of our large families. On top of all the people, we had only been together as a family and in this house since September. (Three months is REALLY not enough time to put a house together, much less a tight, cohesive family bond) I think that this year is so much better. We did not overspend this year. We know what will make everyone happy, and we are not trying to compensate for the loss of one parent or another through divorce. We are not trying to compensate for all the changes that the kids have gone through, and we realize now that our kids just don’t need that much crap. What we give them will end up being used and not put into a pile in their closet.

I am also not cooking Christmas dinner this year. There is going to be a ham and a roast beef, along with a few types of breads and cheeses. Sandwiches anyone? Oh yes. We have broken everything in. Our family is broken in, our house is broken in, our hearts are broken in. (And just in time to move to the new house! *but alas* that is for another blog!)

Merry Christmas to everyone, and Happy New Year in case I don’t talk to you again before then.

Ayn Rand was one of the most brilliant writers of our time. She came from a world where socialism took over and destroyed what once was a prosperous nation. She wrote several AMAZING books and one of those was one called Anthem. Here is the entirety of chapter 11.

Chapter 11

I am. I think. I will.

My hands . . . My spirit . . . My sky . . . My forest . . . This earth of mine. . . .

What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer.

I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of the quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction.

It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgement of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect.

Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are false, but only three are holy: “I will it!”

Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding star and the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one direction. They point to me.

I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.

Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars.

I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before!

I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom.

I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned.

I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire. For in the temple of his spirit, each man is alone. Let each man keep his temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him join hands with others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold.

For the word “We” must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within man’s soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils on earth, the root of man’s torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie.

The word “We” is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages.

What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? What is my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and the impotent, are my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey?

But I am done with this creed of corruption.

I am done with the monster of “We,” the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame.

And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride.

This god, this one word:

“I.” 

“Don’t cut taxes unless you have a plan to pay for it.”

This is one of the things Hillary Clinton said during an interview on the Fox Business Channel this morning. That’s a scary thought. It defies all logic and reason. How does a person see the people of America if a tax cut requires payment. The taxes are a payment. She said later in the interview that she believes the top income earners can afford to pay more taxes so the middle class can have a break. I’m all for the middle class paying less taxes. But I also think everyone who pays taxes should have to pay less and the federal government needs to spend less.

We are getting married this coming Sunday at the Georgian Cinemas (yes, we are getting married in a movie theatre!).

 From I-85:

Exit HWY 34 (Bullsboro Dr.) If you are coming from the north, make a right off the exit.

Go to the third light and make a left. (You should be turning left between a Chick-fil-A and a Burger King) This is Newnan Crossings Bypass. (It is Millard Farmer on the right)

The theatre is on the right. Do not use Google maps, it will tell you WRONG!!

Call or email for directions! There is a link on the page to email Brian and I…click on our name.

Brian and I have been trying to get married for a year now. We have set three official wedding dates. Today should have been our wedding day, and most obviously it was not. I am hoping that this coming week we can harrass the people at the court clerk’s office enough so that we can go and get our marriage license and get this all over with this coming Sunday. Our pastor spoke with us about getting married during a church service one Sunday morning. I took this to heart and told him today that if everything works out the way that I am hoping this coming week, Brian and I would like to get married on this coming Sunday. (Not tomorrow, but the 16th) I am not sure that he figured we would be so spur of the moment with him. The look on his face was funny. I felt like he was trying to be nice and not look at me like I had lost my mind for asking for something to happen within one week.

 We decided to do it next Sunday because we will have all six of our children together for that weekend. That is no small feat for us, considering the fact that the oldest lives out in Kansas. We have also invited Brian’s parents to come up next weekend. That will be a lot of fun for all of us. So you all know, the kids do not know that their brother is going to be here next weekend. This is a HUGE surprise for all of them. They are going to get home from school on Thursday and Clinton will be here. Its going to be GREAT!!

 I need to plan some sort of party/reception for after the wedding. I might even decide that we should get married on Saturday. I know, short notice…but my patience is running out. Party at out house Saturday night? Bring food and drinks…lol.

As most of our family and friends know, we are waiting to get married. It was our plan to be married on September 8th, but that will not happen now. If it were simply up to us, we would have been married the day after we met. Wednesday will be our first anniversary together. I still love Brian with all my heart, and always will. He makes my heart pound with joy every time I see him, or even think of him for that matter. I can not see a day that he and I will not be together. He is my future, and I am his. I want nothing more than than to be his wife. There is one catch…and until this little catch is cleared up, we can’t get married. I pray to God to give me the patience to wait for the day when we will be married.  I question my faith in Him sometimes because I get so upset that things are not going my way. I am a brat that way. It is not to say that I do not believe in Him, only that my faith wains from time to time. I question my own faith because I know in my heart that it is His will that we should live by, but I am so impatient. If I have a little more faith this will be easier. There is a purpose under God for everything that happens. He is making us wait for a reason. We are just not privy to that reason right now. I want to strengthen my faith. I believe that this will make me a better wife and mother, not to mention a better person. I believe that one day I can find a way through faith to stop the struggle against His will. (Its a lot easier with Brian by my side too!)  

Another struggle that I have is our living situation. We are currently living with one bathroom. It would not be so bad if it were not for the fact we have five children and two adults living in our house right now. LOL…I say right now as if that might change in the next 10 years. Nope, not gonna happen. 

We have been searching for houses here lately. Our lease is up at the end of this month and we must either find another one, or stay in this one. I would really rather not stay in a house that does not have a second bathroom. We love this house, and we really love the yard, but we need more space!! Am I struggling against God here? Is the reason that we have not found the house that meets all of our criteria because he wants us to stay here? Yet another thing I can pray about. Just so you all know…I rewrote the previous sentence. I started to say “another thing I have to pray about” but I think it is more fair to say what I changed it to.  

I don’t want to struggle against God’s will. I only want what is right for our family. I think that a little stress off of us would be a good thing and being able to get into a bathroom when someone else needs it also will be a HUGE relief.