Independence Day

Reagan's first Independence Day was busy, but wonderful.  We tried to get her in the spirit Sunday with this outfit:

We thought it would be a good idea to sit her on this table in front of a vase of red irises (you know, red, white, & blue), but I couldn't get a good shot.  Many thanks to my mom, whose arm is featured in each shot, for her efforts:

Family shot:

Jessica found this onesie that I was eager to put on Reagan this morning.  

Believe it or not, this is the best shot of her in it:

Today was just not a great photo day all around:

"Come on Reagan look at the camera!"

"What if we all sit on the couch? . . . "

"Ok look over here . . . ready 1,2,3 . . .  no now this camera."

But, the food was good.

Cream cheese icing. . . 

For the cupcakes:

Reagan ate dinner with about 20 of her Grandmama Zeigler's relatives . . . & by far the two most entertaining & energetic were Reagan's cousins Joy & Natalie:

Reagan was ready to go home, 

having far surpassed her relative quota for one day:

The British, who just don't hold grudges, honored Ronald Reagan on July 4 by unveiling a statue of him that will stand outside the American Embassy:

This article discusses the unveiling and the unfortunate absence of Margaret Thatcher.  Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said that "A country cannot subsist well without liberty, nor liberty without virtue."  These two would be sickened by the lip service many of our current leaders pay to liberty & the absolute lack of virtue that permeates almost every facet of this nation.        

When he died, aside from the images of Nancy, this one got me:

Thatcher said that "Europe was created by history.  America was created by philosophy."  The philosophical underpinnings that bind this nation will not survive without virtuous leaders who can articulate and defend them; they are never, as Reagan said, "more than one generation away from extinction."  No one takes you too seriously if you lack virtue, no matter how many times we're told that a politicians' ability to lead has nothing to do with his personal life.  We are in sore need of virtuous leaders who lead by example, both publicly & privately, & who understand that public service is a privilege, rather than a way to secure a great pension & get an Obamacare waiver.  We should be far more interested in why our leaders cannot agree on a sensible budget than what they're posting on their twitter account. 

In the interim, pray for this nation.  Like every good blessing, it should not be taken for granted.  Sit your children down & sing patriotic songs to them or with them.  They don't know why this nation is special unless they are told; they aren't born understanding the philosophy Ms. Thatcher referenced & why it is superior to others that are piled, as Reagan said, on the "ash heap of history."  Boys become men, and men will not willingly fight & die for a nation they don't consider worthy of their sacrifice.  Tonight, my Reagan & I watched some fireworks on TV while Martina McBride sang the National Anthem, & I sang God Bless America to her while she was falling asleep.      

When I am fortunate enough to attend a football game in Tiger Stadium, one of my favorite moments is when the Star Spangled Banner is played by the Golden Band from Tigerland.  Everyone stands, the men remove their caps & place them over their hearts, the noise ceases, and 96,000 people sing in unison.  I hope to experience it with Reagan one day; it is the quintessential moment for someone who thinks college football is one of the great things about America.  This links to a video someone took of the National Anthem in Tiger Stadium . . . a warning to the non-tiger fans: it is preceded by LSU's Alma Mater.  

Geaux Tigers.  God Bless America.

AZ

Baby Grieb

Reagan & I have a new cousin.  Aaron & Lea Ann welcomed William Lee Grieb on Friday, July 1, 2011.  He was a little early, but both mama & baby Will are doing well.  

Above: Aaron with Will, Below: my aunt Kathy with Will, her first grandchild:

Uncle Austin:

the Griebs!

Love to you all.  We can't wait to meet Will.  

Tell him to get busy; Reagan has about about 12 pounds on him right now.

AZ

Reagan Was Right

Ronald Reagan once said that "Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15."

My Reagan is eager to celebrate her first 4th.  She has a new outfit (complete w/matching bow) to debut on Monday.

This Harvard study  found that "July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on election day."

The 3 key findings regarding those attending July 4th celebrations:

*When done before age 18, it increases the likelihood of a youth identifying as a Republican by at least 2%

*It raises the likelihood that parade watchers will vote for a Republican candidate by 4%

*It boosts the likelihood that a reveler will vote by about 1% and increases the chances they'll make a political contribution by about 3%

Likely befuddling the Harvard researchers, "the political right has been more successful in appropriating American patriotism and its symbols during the 20th century."

The study also found that Democrats gain nothing from 4th of July parades, and suggests Democratic politicians are wasting their time marching in them.  Perhaps organizing tax parades should be next on the Dems agenda?  Instead of an American flag, they can carry witty signs about other people's money.

So get off the computer & get your children to a 4th of July parade; their future may depend on it.

AZ

Fan Club Reunion

Last night, Reagan's Fan Club returned from a 10 day Alaskan cruise.  Reagan debuted her new yellow polo dress for the occasion.  After a quick bite to eat, everyone gathered at the airport (yes, another trip to Monroe Regional in less than a week) to welcome them home.

We all spent some quality time together while various members of the fan club alternately chatted with the airport employee about when, & if, they might expect all of their bags to arrive.

Reagan remains unimpressed with Monroe Regional:

I've said it before & I will say it again - hope, enthusiasm, & vacation dreams go to Monroe Regional to wither & die.  Below are pictures of what was supposed to be a family trip to New York in December of 2008.  We had tickets to see Wicked, The Little Mermaid, & Mamma Mia on Broadway, but my parents & I never boarded one plane.  I took time off work, crammed all my toiletry items into tiny bottles, & woke at 4AM so that I could stand around forlornly at Monroe Regional while American Airlines explained that they could not in any way offer us a shred of hope of making it to New York.

We did drive to Dallas to pick up Jessa who sat at DFW for 8 hours after flying there from Denver.  The plan was to fly to Dallas to meet her & make our connecting flight to New York . . . but American Airlines had no plane with which to fly us to Dallas & no way to get us to New York in any timely fashion.  I will resent them forever; I cried in the airport.

Below: me sitting at The Travel Company in Monroe while our travel agent tried to figure out a way to get us to New York in time to see the plays.  They let me sit behind the desk & play on the computer:

In the lobby of the hotel where we stayed in Dallas:

We did have some fun in Dallas . . . 

at The Cheesecake Factory:

We found this book, ironically titled Christmas in New York, in Barnes & Noble:

Happy to be doing some shopping, even if it was in 80 degree rather than 30 degree weather:

The luggage fiasco last night brought on some strong flashbacks for me.  We did go see Wicked at The Orpheum in Memphis in the summer of 2009.  I adore Wicked.

Remember, no good deed goes unpunished . . . 

especially if you include Monroe Regional in your travel plans.

AZ

Cilantro

Weekend excitement over & her daddy still traveling, Reagan grew bored with Jessica & the pups & I.

So we took her to the grocery store . . . where she remained pretty nonchalant about everything.

We decided to take a break from Newk's & do a little cooking.  I suggested enchiladas.  I was eager to make them the way I like them, with tomato & sauteed onion chopped up & added to the sauce (Trey doesn't eat either of these things, but he loves rotel dip.  Go figure).  Jessica wisely purchased some cilantro that we planned to mix with the tomato & onion to make pico de gallo.  Cilantro deceptively looks like a bunch of leaves, but it is AMAZING:

I chopped up the tomato & onion, & Jessica washed the cilantro.  My mom has a food processor, but it looked incredibly complicated to operate, so Jessica mixed the 3 ingredients in some sort of small chopping appliance that sparked a conversation about how a Magic Bullet might actually be useful.  Aside from Reagan's babble & the pups yapping in the background, you'd have thought we were filming an infomercial.  The finished product:

I think 'officially' pico has some lime juice in it, but ours was fantastic with just the tomato, onion, & cilantro.  Maybe it was the cilantro, or maybe it was the pureed bananas she ate, but Reagan's somber mood lifted after dinner:

Wednesday Reagan had two harrowing experiences: 6 month shots & her first trip inside the illustrious Monroe Regional Airport.  After a brief nap following the shots, we headed to the airport.  We passed the construction on the new terminal, found something that resembled a parking spot among the debris, & waded through a few puddles on our way inside to wait for her daddy.  We had fun choosing which chair upholstered with fake torn leather we would sit in, & opted for the one that appeared least sticky.   

Below: Reagan waiting, wondering what was so important that I interrupted her nap (note the wall of translucent cubes behind her that are meant to give the illusion that you're in a 'real' airport).

Thankfully we didn't have to wait long (b/c it's not like there is anything to eat or a bookstore to browse):

(Do not let that 'Restaurant' sign behind Trey's head fool you!  Quite the misnomer).  

Luggage loaded & Reagan buckled in again, we decided to go to Newk's for dinner.  Ok, I decided we'd to go to Newk's.  Hey, I love it.  Once seated, Reagan made quick work of her band-aids from her shots.

I was hoping to eat some of their Chicken Tortilla soup.  It is delicious, probably because it is generously garnished with . . . cilantro.  Unfortunately, Chicken Tortilla is not one of the soups they serve on Wednesday.  I opted for a crab bisque instead, which was palatable, but no cilantro.  Despite the shots, the shoddy airport, & cilantro-less soup, Reagan & I were happy to have her daddy home.       

On another note, cilantro is sold in large bunches, so if you know of a good recipe or dip that requires it, please feel free to post it on mine or Jessa's facebook.  It's too fantastic to waste.  Thanks!

AZ