Thankful

I am thankful for the country I live in. I don't believe America is perfect, but I believe it is amazing.
I am thankful for my family members living, and dead who gave to help keep us free. I am thankful for the brave men, and women so long ago, who knew we needed independence from the British, and fought to make that happen. Work, blood, sweat, and tears are what were sacrificed so that we would not be cruelly taxed, and unfairly monitored by a unjust governing power.

I am thankful that I live in the U.S.A.

Do you sit in your larger than average house, in your name brand T-shirt, crapping on a shiny white toilet, sipping a cold drink, while surfing the web? Do you have a car to drive to your local coffee shop so you can drink your favorite, flavored,whipped,latteed, coffee drink? Do you have the freedom to travel in expensive jet airplanes, to exotic places, then come back to your sweet smelling town, and sleep in your cozy comfortable bed again?Do you have the luxury to worship how you want to worship? Can you stand up and protest something without fear of death? Do you shop at giant super stores to buy your soft absorbent toilet paper, expensive iphones, ipods, bottles of ultra purified crystal clear water,and choose from 30 kinds of deodorant? Can you get married, and be blessed to have 4 children instead of just one with out fear that you will be forced to have an abortion? Can you read the Bible on a park bench without fear? How many Bibles do you own? Three? Or do you only own a shred of a Bible that you read over and over again because that is all you have?

If you think there is something wrong with America, then stand up(or kneel down), and do something about it, don't tear it down, and the people who serve this country with their lives. The very fact that you can complain without fear is reason to be thankful. I thank God for my country, and the millions who have been blessed because of it.

2 Chronicles 7:14
"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Gas Prices and press on nails in 2008

We had a lovely Fourth of July. The weather was perfect,Andreas lit the fireworks and bar-b-qed,the pool was refreshing, and there was plenty of food. I marinated about 12 pounds of spare ribs, made The Barefoot Countessa's July 4th cake, and my mom's recipe for green mango pie.Hmmm. Auntie Gina brought these chocolate chocolate chip cheesecake cupcakes were so good, you might commit some sort of serious crime to get a second helping.

For fun, I got some "patriotic" press on nails at Clair's for $2.00. Press on nails are not exactly what I remember when I was a kid. When I was a kid, they fell off a few hours after you stuck them on, or when you buttoned your jeans,whichever came first.
I put them on thinking I would take them off that night or maybe the next day if I was lucky.

Here I am on July 8th and I am still wearing 6 of them. All ten would still be on if I did not try to rip them off last night. I soaked them in fingernail polish remover first and then when I ripped them off they also took the top layer of my real nail with them and tore them down to the quick.

I wanted to take them off on the night of July 4 but they were stuck on there so good,I was standing in my bathroom contemplating which was worse: stabbing myself in the eye while taking out my contacts, or ripping my nails out.

I also must admit, I am a little OCD in a few areas. One has to do with my nails. I wanted to rip them off that night #1 because they are unsanitary. #2 because they looked a little bubbly from the glue in spots. #3 because I had to poke myself in the eyeball in order to get my contacts off. In my brain, #1 and #2 are almost equal.
#3 would not bother me so much if I was not so worried about an infection of the eye while poking my eye out.

Now, as I type I am constantly aware that my nails do not match, and that bothers me more than the fact that it is so much harder to type with obnoxiously long nails.

I read the warning label on the press on nails, and it does not say anything about how this product could damage the tops of your real nails and rip them down to the painful quick. It does say, DANGER:Bonds to eyes and nails in seconds.
It should say, DANGER:You will not recognize your own hands after applying this glue.Glue is impervious to nail polish remover, dish washing, gardening, and nuclear war.

On a happier note, I noticed that regular gasoline is $4.48 a gallon today. I have a strange reaction to the new gas prices. Ask my kids if you don't believe me. It all started when gas hit the $4.00 mark. I will be driving innocently, and if I look up at a gas station sign, and the price has gone up, I cringe uncontrollably. I have a hard time describing how I feel,but it is kind of like a cross between that feeling when you get the chills and that queasy feeling you get when you are about to throw up.
I wonder if I am alone, or if other people are experiencing this syndrome.

On the positive side, I live in Hawaii, I have my health,and my family, so I guess I should not complain right?