Bucket List

My Bucket List

1. Be Faithful to God, my family, my friends and myself every day.
2. Grow old, healthy and happy with my wife.
3. Watch my girls grow into beautiful young women, graduate from high school and college, start a family and career if they so choose and spend endless hours with my grandchildren if I am blessed enough to have some.
4. Let my family know I love them and appreciate everything they do for me.
5. Be the better man everyday in every situation. Let my words and actions be who I really am.
6. Help one person everyday either it be with a problem, a kind word or just a smile.
7. Show compassion for those in need, comfort for those in pain and the courage to stand up for those being wronged.
8. Judge less, care more and learn something new every day.
9. Purely selfish one - Visit New England in Autumn.

Mile Stones Reached - Reflections On the Past - Future Pondered

According to many people tomorrow is a big day for me. See I am going from one decade in my life to another. Many see this as a transition or a sad time but for me it is just another day. I really don't feel any older, not sure if I have gained that expected wisdom that comes with age and still feel I have a lot of life ahead of me. Maybe I should give it more thought and reflection. Maybe it is bigger then I am giving it credit for. But I truly think a person is only as old as they feel and allow themselves to act. Later if time allows I will probably take some time tonight and look back at what I have accomplished, opportunities missed and conquered and ponder what the future holds.

For me, as I make the transition from thirties and into my forties, I remember probably the best decade of my life. I have seen my daughters born, grow and mature. I have spent some wonderful time with my wife. My career has been good and I am blessed to have a job continually throughout it. I have worked my way thru college, with only to 5 credit hours to finish (which will be done in March), and I will have my bachelors degree. I have thoroughly  enjoyed my 30's and I am really looking forward to what my 40's bring.

So I would like to say thanks to my wonderful family for making my life so joyous and showing me how truly blessed I am. Thanks to all the friends, old and new, who have told me straight and supported me when I needed it most. Thanks especially to God for all the gifts and blessings I have. 

Politics and the World We Live In

While I dislike politicians and the hypocrisy they expound I find it odd that so many "average" Americans are willing to point out this hypocrisy. There is not one among us, myself included, who is not a hypocrite. I do not know one person who has not said "I will never" or "under no circumstances is that". When it comes to items like abortion, pedophilia, murder, etc. most people aren't hypocrites, we live what we say. But are we saying that there are different levels to being hypocrite and that some are OK? When we do this we are no better than the same people we sit in judgement and become just like them. So instead of us becoming the political pundits we love to hate maybe we should take a step back and look in the mirror first.

The news of Santorum's wife's abortion is very bad for his candidacy but it does only show that he is human. Yes he is a hypocrite and he lied to us but after all he is a politician, did you expect something different? I am a Christian but have always found the way he pushed his faith out in front was not what I want to hear. I want to hear how he is going to change foreign policy, fix the economy and help out Americans. Did I think he was a viable or even a good candidate, no. Do I think this hurts his campaign, yes. But I don't really care since to me he was a poor choice in the first place. Being a Christian makes you who you are as a person, not as a politician. Does one affect the other, sure but they are two completely different things.

I am also glad that Michele Bachmann is now out of the race. She also was not a viable candidate and to me is bat crap crazy. Her speech withdrawing from the race for president confirmed this for me even more. To say "even though I am a congresswoman I am not a politician" show's how nuts she really is. Her statement that she was only running to repeal Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or to her Dodd-Franks and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or as she always call's it Obamacare shows how woefully unprepared she was to lead our nation.

I don't know who I will vote for yet since we don't know who the republican candidate is going to be. Has president Obama lived up to every promise he made, no. Is he the best choice, not sure yet. Is Romney the right person, is it Gingrich, Paul or if Huntsman makes a run? I just don't know yet. We have 11 months of listening to speeches, posturing and let's face it lies. Good luck America and the world, this is going to be a fun 11 months.