Freedom Is Not Free

I am one of those people who is always in awe of the sacrifices of others....particularly the men and women in the military. I like watching military movies like Blackhawk Down and Saving Private Ryan because, although they are graphic in nature and very difficult to watch, I am reminded of the ultimate sacrifice made by many young men in the 225+ years of the existence of our country.....and I am reminded that freedom is not free.

I say all this because today as I was perusing the blogosphere visiting some of my favorite blogs I came across another reminder of this very thing. One of my favorite blogs to visit is Stephanie Howell's blog. I love her scrapbook pages and her penchant for awesome flea market finds. She has two of the cutest little girls....and she has a husband who is serving in Afghanistan.

The past couple of days NBC News has featured footage of her husband's squadron. It is both graphic and heart wrenching. She has posted both feature stories on her blog. The features show what the men of this company face and the conditions they live in. They also show their heroism.

I am truly grateful for these men and for families like Stephanie's who must also endure this hardship in service for our nation. Thank you.

Should I be Worried?

So, I'm thinking....I really need to check on the life insurance policy. Especially after last Friday! Russell and I went on a hike up at South Mountain Park. I had the day off and thought a nice two hour hike would be a great way to start the day. Hmmmm....but he had other plans. You see, the guy who gets to hike two to three times a week does not want to do a MEASLEY TWO HOUR HIKE!!!! NOOOOO......

We started on our regular route and then he veered in another direction.

"Where are we going?"

"Up Hobert."

"Heh???? That's like 10 miles!"

"No it isn't.....it's just nine."

Okay, so when you have not been on a long hike in about five months.....whether it is nine miles or ten miles is irrelevant!!! I was thinking I kind of wanted to work my way back in towards the longer hikes again. He would have none of that.

So as I drug myself up the trail literally a half a mile behind him a thought came to me.....I should have checked the life insurance. Seriously. I think he's just watching to see if I keeled over. But I lived. I could hardly walk this weekend....but I did live.

Today is round two. Let's see if I make it back!!!