Belated Memorial Day Post

Dear Terrorists, I am a Navy Aviator.

I was born and raised in a small town in New England. I come from a family of five. I was raised in a middle class home and taught my values by my mother and father.

My dad worked a series of jobs in finance and my mom took care of us kids.

We were not an overly religious family but attended church most Sundays.

It was a nice small Episcopal Church.

I have a brother and sister and I am the youngest in my family.

I was the first in many generations to attend college.

I have flown Naval aircraft for 16 years. For me the flying was never a lifelong dream or a "calling," it just happened.

I needed a job and I liked the challenge.

I continue to do it today because I feel it is important to give back to a nation which has given so much to me.

I do it because, although I will never be rich, my family will be comfortable.

My government has spent millions to train me to fly these multi-million dollar aircraft.

I make about 70,000 dollars a year and after 20 years will be offered a pension.

I like baseball but think the players make too much money.

I am in awe of firemen and policemen and what they do each day for my community, and like teachers, they just don't get paid enough.

I respect my elders and always use sir or ma'am when addressing a stranger. I'm not sure about kids these days but I think that's normal for every generation.

I tell you all this because when I come for you, I want you to know me. I won't be hiding behind a woman or a child.

I won't be disguised or pretending to be something I am not. I will be in a U.S. Issue flight suit. I will be wearing standard US issue flight gear, and I will be flying a navy aircraft clearly marked as a US warplane.

I wish we could meet up close in a small room where I could wrap my hands around your throat and slowly squeeze the life out of you, but unfortunately, you're hiding in a hole in the ground, so we will have to do this a different way.

I want you to know also that I am very good at what I do. I can put a 2,000 lb weapon through a window from 10,000 feetup.

I generally only fly at night, so you may want to start sleeping during the day.

I am not eager to die for my country but I am willing to sacrifice my life to protect it from animals like you.

I will do everything in my power to ensure no civilians are hurt as I take aim at you.

My countrymen are a forgiving bunch.

Many are already forgetting what you did on Sept 11th. But I will not forget!!

I am coming.

I hope you know me a little bit better, see you soon...sleep tight.

Signed A U.S. Navy Pilot

GO NAVY!!

L.s.R

Holding Onto My Plans Loosely

I love making plans.

I make plans about everything: my daily routine, my month, trips I want to take, my college schedule, my future. I get wholly wrapped up in the process. I love sitting down with my calender and my post-it notes and making lists and figuring out how everything will work.

I am not an organized person, but when it comes to making lists and planning events I love it and am good at it.

I didn't realize it, but it became an obsession. I noticed, about a week ago that with my school plans, I get extremely irritated if something gets out of line. One little deviation ruined my whole day, and made me start to worry about the rest of my schedule.

I become worried that if I missed that one thing, then nothing else will pan out.

I was trusting in my own strength, and relying on my own plans and ideas.

Right now, in my Bible study, I am working through a book by Beth Moore on the life of Paul.

I was reading the part in Acts 16 where Paul was going to enter Asia to preach,

but the Holy Spirit blocked the way.

Beth Moore noted, " I don't believe God intended for Paul, Silas, and Timothy to travel haphazardly through the countryside. Paul was a very intelligent man.

He probably formulated an itinerary just like most of us would, but he kept his plans open just in case God had different ideas."

She then went on to say that we can make plans, but we have to hold on to them loosely. I was convicted by what she said.

All the time I formulate my own ideas for my life, and how I should go about it. I think it is the best there is for me. But I forget that I can make my plans, but I have to let God approve of them. If he is leading me in a new, different direction, or plans are not working how I wanted them to, I have to trust that God's plan for my life is bigger and better than anything I could ever imagine for myself.

I feel exhilarated!

It is amazing how certain experiences in life can give you this incredible feeling of floating!
One of those experiences is passing two class finals with wonderful scores!
Thank you Managerial Accounting and Money and Banking, but I am done with you!
Forever!
Here I come, Principles of Finance, Microeconomics and Public Speeching!


Thank you Jesus!

Stow-on-the-Wold, England 2006

L.s.R

Celebrating 80 Years of Life and 60 Years of Flying

This February my family and I were able to go out to California to celebrate my Papa's 80th Birthday and anniversary of 60 years of flying.

My Papa is amazing, and is one of my heroes. In my opinion, he has done the impossible: lived through countless hardships in the Great Depression, has lead dangerous Naval missions in two separate wars, has been in love and has been married to two amazing women, has seven children that all love him very much, was a college professor in refrigeration science, still flies his own plane, still working full-time, and for his 75th birthday drove across the entire United States on his BMW motorcycle. He is the best story-teller I know, and is extremely passionate in everything he does. I thank God that he is 80 years old and is still able to do all of these things. If I could choose one thing he has taught me in my life, it is to strive to do what you love, do nothing else, and to do it with your whole heart.

We held his party where he keeps his plane. That morning he did a couple fly-bys in the plane, and made his grand entrance. He asked my dad to go up with him that morning, which I know was very special time for them both.

Papa is still the same size he was in his early twenties. In the above pic, he is wearing the same flight-suit he wore as a naval pilot.

Papa is a great speaker. He shared some stories that day, that I had never heard before. It was an emotional time for the family, and very special to hear.

Whenever the whole clan is together, you can count on having a good time.

L.s.R

Tornado

During dinner last night we experience our first real hail storm that had marble and a few golf ball sized hail. I have seen hail before, of course, but never to that extent and that large. After it was over, we went out front to look around and noticed a huge thunderhead moving directly in front of our house. It was amazing, until we realized that is was rotating, so we turned on the TV and found out that was the same cloud that the weather guys were focused on. Thankfully, it was heading north-east from us, but as it got further away it started to produce a few fingers that were trying to become tornadoes--like the pic above. The picture does not do it justice, but it was an awesome sight. God's power is amazing and scary!