Good news is, I'm safe and sound in Hawaii and it's beautiful as always....

Bad news is it was a nightmare trip. We arrived in LA fine and had a long layover there which was a bit boring for the kids, but I'm a people watcher so it was fine with me. I texted a friend on the off chance he'd like to meet my family, but I guess schedules didn't permit that. The layover was 3 hours and we grabbed some fast food and then sat and waited near our gate. I kept an eye on the monitor to make sure everything was on schedule and all was well until near boarding time. I noticed a change from destination to San Francisco to Orlando which was delayed. I wasn't concerned because we still had time, but the next flight out was to Washington DC and I am actually hoping I have a better chance at catching our President spending spring break in his birth state rather than DC. So I sent the kidbits to check the flight and they came back to say all was still well. I watched and the time was getting closer to boarding and still no info on the SF flight. I sent them again to look if the gate had changed. It had. So we hauled ourselves down 5 gates and prayed that it would be on time because our layover there was under an hour. We boarded and the pilot took us to one end of the runway only to announce that the wind direction had changed so we had to go to the OTHER end of the runway. We'd been taxiing around for around forty minutes and I was realizing that this was going to be close. I had asked the guy at the gate at LAX if he could tell me the gate I'd arrive at and the one we'd depart from and they were next to each other. BUT since we'd been delayed our arrival gate changed and we had to book it to make it to the flight departing to Oahu and we barely made it. My concerns were on how lucky WE were to make the change and was our luggage just as lucky...
The flight out of SF to Hawaii was nice, actually. I made a friend who liked to visit and liked to talk about the philosophies of faith and America. Her opinions were very in line with my own and believe it or not I didn't mention that I was a democrat, but that I AM LDS. We watched a movie with Will Smith called 7 pounds which made me cry like a girl, but I knew it was going to. I highly recommend it.
The night before we left we'd watched Braveheart. My oldest daughter is as filled with pride as I am at our very VERY close ancestry of the Scottish clan Lamont (my paternal grandmother was a Lamont born in PA but her father, my great grandfather, actually came from Scotland.)We have a tartan skirt and scarf in the Lamont plaid and keep up with the happenings of our current chief. We'd LOVE to visit Scotland someday and walk upon the land where the Campbell clan nearly annihilated the Lamont clan, men, women, and children under the white flag of surrender. They were punished for their crimes later, but so much was lost out of greed and not standing as a proud country to fight together instead of a divisive war and hopeless battle. I know this all sounds unrelated, but I had joked last night that we should NOT use Campbell's soup. So we hear the announcement from our pilot that all is well and we are taking off. He introduced himself as Captain Campbell.. The foreboding grew.
As it should have because they only got two of our three checked bags....

Okay I'm awake again and it's almost 6 a.m. here but I've been awake since 4. Still no word on our missing bag. I am calmer today too.

When we went to file a report at the missing baggage counter, they were waiting for us. They discovered our bag and was sending it on a flight that would be arriving at 7:30 p.m. It was 3 p.m. when we arrived and they told us we needed to be BACK to the airport between 7:30 and 9 p.m. They would give us a $100 travel voucher but they don't deliver to the North shore because it's too remote... IT'S A FREAKING ISLAND!!!!!!!!!! NOTHING IS REMOTE! We made our way to the car rental place and I started calling United to try to get it straightened out. They were saying they would bring it by noon the next day, but couldn't guarantee a time. We have things scheduled and paid for this day so that just isn't going to work so I told them to cash in the voucher we won't ever be using since we won't be flying United again and put our luggage on a cab and send it to our Hotel. The guy said, "I'll see what I can do." But I said "No, just do it. Make it happen. This has happened to us before with United and they tend to leave us high and dry." I had to step away because by then I was yelling. He said he'd call back, but never did. It was raining when we got to our hotel after stopping at a fruit stand for the best pineapple in the world. We were drenched and tired and no way going back to Honolulu. My husband and youngest grabbed some necessities a store in the Hotel. Name of the store?? Lamonts. Yeah Lamonts saved the day for now.
It's a new day and I'm calm. We may have to reschedule a few things to the other side of the island. It's rainy here this morning and I'm thinking whale watching will be out. There are high surf warnings. But it's beautiful, it smells like the pineapple we bought and my coconut lime lotion. The sun is rising, the ocean is beautiful and my luggage is in Honolulu. I was polite when they said it would get here shortly after 8 am. It's heaven here. Also we bought our fruit from a very kind old woman who made us sad. The economy hits everyone and I'm not certain they could afford to be hit. We'll go back to her and help her as long as we are here.
Aloha everyone. I'll keep in touch since my internal clock is working against me.

Fifty five years ago.

The world became a better place. Matthew S. Mezger was born. Matt has worked as a defender of the public, he's survived cancer. He even survived being tossed off BethShort.com but never gives up the fight. Imagine the unlikely friendship that came of that! But a friend he is. A friend I don't always agree with but admire his intelligence, value his opinion and his advice.

Happy Birthday Matthew!

NOOOOOOOOOOOO don't leave us!

Rush Lamebrain is leaving New York. I'm sure time will stand still and they will fly their flags at half mast. Dress in black for a year. Jon Stewart is lost:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Rush Limbaugh Leaves New York
comedycentral.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

(Warning: bleeped F-bomb)

Okay so now how do we get him to leave the country?? Any ideas?

Okay I can't live this lie any longer...

I'm really a Republican and wrote Sarah Palin in as President with Glen Beck as Veep!!!

Bad Girl's Club

Okay, I have an aberration in the stuff I like to watch on TV because I am a brainless, reality show addict. I let my girls watch shows that I honestly shouldn't. My oldest daughter is having serious issues with the girls that she's so tried to be friends with, but honestly she's hotter, smarter, more mature and she's finally kicked them to the curb, I always regret things like that because it's hard for me to finally get discouraged enough to walk away. One thing is going to grow worse as time goes on. She's going to become more fascinating to boys and she warns them that if they like being her friend that they shouldn't try to ask her out. Some of them actually listen but the ones who are rebuffed usually get mean and call her a 8!tch, but she owns it because ummm, have you met her mother???? Anyway, digression there. One show we've liked is called The Bad Girl's Club. There's not much I want my girls to learn except a lesson from one girl. She is tiny, she's nice, and she does NOT back down from a fight. She doesn't fight like a girl and the only time I've seen her taken down is when they beat her down four against her. I don't want my girls to be fighting, but if someone else starts it, I'd love to see, especially my oldest, take out this little 8!tch Posse, because I know she can. She's not me though, far more mature. So tonight is the finale of Bad Girls and it's going to get ugly. The moderator??? Perez Hilton. Oh yeah, that's going to be effective. I think he should be cast in the next season. How brave would the Laptop Samurai be face to face?? Internet bullies are a dime a dozen. Sharks lurking in dark waters (or mama's basement, not especially brave (again I know who reads my blog, loser). It's gotta suck to be them.

Expect the unexpected.

Obamas Are Personally Paying For White House Renovations

To the average American this may look a little too stand up. Like a really appropriate thing for the First Family to do. Setting a good example of paying our own way in life. Living conservatively within our means. But you KNOW it's a trick. I can't wait to hear Fox and Friends. Oh and the big fat dude with the golden mic that was the answer to the fun guessing game no one even tried to guess, this could be the move that causes an aneurysm.

Oooooo!!!! Fun new game!!

I show you a quote and you guess who said it. (Hint: I am always going to choose living brain donors' quotes)

Speaking of the photos taken of naked prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, this person said: "This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation." (Oh and it not Saddam Hussein and for our Republican lurkers (yeah, I can see who my readers are) Bin Laden is Saudi/Afganistan.. Ummm yeah they lied. I hope you knew that or I've ruined everything for you, huh?)

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. -- J. M. Barrie

I have a very very wise niece who has, for a very long time, used a similar motto: "Don't blow out my candle to make yours burn brighter." Don't tell me that she didn't make it up or I will accuse you of being a candle blower outer.

Sometimes I feel like sunshine and candle light is further at the end of the tunnel having had the demon headache for so many years now. I am not the Monica I was before. I don't even know this Monica. Nor do I like her much. Perhaps all that is needed to find a semblance of the old me, is a bit more sunshine, keep my candle lit. I need to learn not to be angry at candle blower outers. I need to learn to pity them. Perhaps the head dwelling demon needs a name. I've always thought so, but nothing even summoned from the depths of hell has even captured the exquisite pain and destruction the headache has wrought in my life. I think I shall try to take a page from Oprah Noodlemantra's life. Live life.

Karma??

So when I was around 13 or 14 this girl moved into my hometown. She was different, she had a different name, and she had nothing to do with the fact that I was very unkind to her. My friends and myself were mean and brutal. When I was 15 I decided to go to Upward Bound (not to be confused with Outward Bound, I wasn't an out of control rebellious sort). She was the only person I knew that would be going too. When I told her, naturally she felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. We became roomies and then BFFs after that. I seriously thought everyone was fortunate enough to have loyal friends that had your back no matter what. I have never NOT had a friend that I couldn't trust with my life so I took it for granted that these people were common. Since my tormenting of my friend of like 26 years, I've been in various situations that has prompted apologies to her for how I treated her all those years ago. Working with youth, especially girls, I am astounded at their cruelty. My oldest daughter is on the receiving end of a situation like this. Now this is pure honesty, I swear. No parental bias. My oldest daughter is of an age that she is getting a lot of attention from boys. Her 3 friends that I refer to as the "8itch Posse" are the kind of girls that are going to have to find a relative to take them to the prom. The leader of the group is a very unpleasant girl and it's obvious to everyone BUT my daughter that this is jealousy. I see it chipping away at my daughter's self-esteem. I think we've reached a point that my daughter has to give up on this. At least for now. It will be very interesting to see what happens with the 3 of them having no target. They will self destruct, I believe. Meanwhile she is making friends with other girls who are happy, positive, and tells her that she's beautiful and she in turn is happy, positive, and thinks that they are beautiful. She's just over a year and a half away from dating and driving. Life will be a whole new experience for her then.
Now I'm off to apologize to my longtime friend for being mean when I first met her for the hundredth time...

Evolution vs. Creationism

I have always loved science. I think when I was a child I covered nearly ALL branches of science in what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I was in high school my science teacher was called in to the school board superintendents office and told NOT to teach us about evolution because it contradicted his religious faith and his daughter was in my biology class. My teacher was so annoyed by this that he asked us to open our biology books to the chapter on evolution and completely rip it out of our books. Had I been the Briar creature then that I am now I'd have gone to a school board meeting to protest the complete stupidity of this rule because this girl's daddy would have no control on what she learned beyond high school and it also took away MY right to learn about evolution.

One day as a child my parents and I were out riding around on a dusty old dirt road. It was obvious that it was rarely traveled. Someone had decided to dump their junk out there rather than the town landfill. The stuff was pretty old but some of it was of interest to my dad and for me we'd just struck gold. There was a set of science encyclopedias. My parents said no because they were old and weathered and likely had cooties, but I promised to keep them out in my playhouse. I loved them. I would read for hours in them but as it got colder that was harder to do. My dad had an old truck we rarely used and it had a camper shell on it. He moved it so that the sun would warm it most of the day. I moved my encyclopedias in there as well as my microscope and chemistry set (which had to be a relief to my mother because I'd nearly blown up the toilet with one of my "potions"). I hung up my star charts and my poster of Mars I took from a National Geographic. Now I had a lab and I continued to read in the encyclopedias. I came across a chart showing one celled animals, so I ran down into the field below my house to the pasture that had a pond with the BEST frogs ever! I had to take a stick and break away ice, but I managed over time to identify each and every one celled animal on the chart in that book. So not teaching me evolution was more of an injustice than an outrage because I probably could have taught the class myself.
The part that really bugged me is that it's true. Evolution is a fact of nature. NO ONE can deny it. In your younger years you learn about the Arctic fox and hare vs. the Desert fox and hare. Clearly they have evolved to their environment. Many things have changed and we know it well. Maybe people are uncomfortable putting the name to it because Evolution sounds like a dirty word to the ignorant Christian. I learned all the theories of Evolution. I came away feeling skeptical every time. I mean, most things that evolve have to change completely to exist in their everchanging environment. So why are there still monkeys?? This could be a bit of stubbornness on my part but I really don't think that MY DNA was ever part monkey. But I read them all and think about them and I can almost believe it. Like a Stephen King book, it falls apart at the end. I just don't believe that some unknown spark hit primordial soup or primitive fairy dust. THAT would require a miracle that sounds a LOT like God to me and we are right NOW at the point where we try to explain where WE came from....That is as far as I ever got with the science of where I came from.
This explanation has always worked for me:

26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

(Genesis 1:27-31)

THAT makes more sense to me and twice as much so when I was handed on of my children for the very first time after having watched my stomach grow from flat to round and felt the life inside of me. Feeling my baby having a nasty case of hiccups in MY tummy. There is a lot that science explains for me, most things, in fact. But God did give that spark of life, I've never ever doubted it since I became a mother.

This is what prompted today's blog:
In The Beginning