Trip to the National Aquarium -Baltimore

Yesterday was finally the day for our long awaited trip to the Aquarium in Baltimore.
We have wanted to go back for so long, but the cost is prohibitive.
It would cost our family somewhere around 150.00 to go on a regular day. I really don't love fish that much...
Now they have a deal running on Fridays after 5:00, that cuts the cost by about a third.
So we drove in yesterday afternoon, found a great parking garage that is very close to the Inner Harbor, and walked over to Harbor Place to meet Laura and Andrew and Lucy.
We had dinner at the food court in Harbor Place, and then walked over to the Aquarium. It wasn't all that cold and the boys were having a blast.
We got to the Aquarium and since we had prepaid we were able to go right in!
There was so much to see!
No, that's just a picture of a shark behind Andrew and Lucy!

But the Octopus is real...


A Moray Eel...
We did go and watch the dolphin show, it was a highlight for the boys.
Manta Rays...this one had to be over eight feet long if you count the tail.
I have been hearing about it all day. I am so glad we went.
It was a great end to a difficult week.

The funniest sad video out there...

This has GOT to be a joke...
I mean, they truly can't expect anyone to watch this and not laugh!
Suicidal Polar Bears?
Al, you have outdone yourself this time...really.

A word to the squeamish and anyone who voted for Obama...
If you can't handle the sight of computer generated images throwing themselves off of cliffs or in front of trains, or if you cried when Bambi's mother died, you should probably not watch this video.
Also, if you are easily swayed by emotion and open to suggestion, and refuse to let reason inform your decisions, you will buy this hook line and sinker...and we don't want that...so you shouldn't watch either.



As an additional point that might be added in while we are connecting the dots as to where the Global Temperature is headed; Iran launched a "satellite" yesterday...

H/T to Creative Minority Report.

I'm in a Funk...

Today has been frustrating, confusing and rather sad.
Not to go into detail, but I am just feeling rather shaken.
It's funny how life goes along and you think everything is status quo and then you find out it's not, it hasn't been, and you didn't even know it.
So I am going to work tonight and I am going to be a loving wife and mom, and do what I do because it's the life God has given me. I am going to be grateful for every blessing that I have.

On another note.
I follow, sporadically, the blog and writings of Amy Welborn.
I have read her books and I really appreciate her style.
I was saddened to read, yesterday, that her husband collapsed and passed away very suddenly yesterday.
It knocks the wind out of you when things like this happen.
Please keep Amy and her family in your prayers.

Holding a Miracle...

H/T to Barbara at Mommy Life!

A Poem by a Friend

Here is a poem written by my friend Karen. I wanted to share...

A Simple Prayer (2009)

Lord, give your protection, send it down to me
Keep my mind from crumbling and bless my family

Lord, give your love, wrap me in your arms
Take away my pain, my anxious state of alarm

Lord, give your wisdom, help me to discern
Grasping meaning in Your Word, helping me to learn

Lord, give your peace, beyond my imagination
Peace so deep that I will feel no need for explanation

Lord, give your salvation, cleanse me of my sin
Take my life forever more, change I must begin

Lord, take my prayers, listen to my pleas
Help me trust in you, more often on my knees

Lord, take my worries, lift my mind on high
Rid me of the evil thoughts, from this day til I die

Lord, take my worship, take all I have to give
Help me know that you alone are reason I must live

Lord, take my faith, the faith I have in Christ
My saving faith that confirms my blessed eternal life

Lord, take my confession, forgive me all my wrongs
When the time is Yours, bring me home to angels' songs

A Baby Cooke Party

Laura's wonderful mother-in-law, Sue Cooke arranged a surprise shower this afternoon to welcome the newest little Cooke!
It was so generous of her and so much fun!
There was a nice group of friends and family and so much wonderful food!Lucy and Grandma Faber
I really enjoyed visiting and playing with Lucy.
Everyone brought something for the big sister and she had some great presents to open.
Little Miss Cooke is going to be a very well dressed young lady for at least the first 3 months.
Laura is doing so well and she is very confident in her decision to live downstate and deliver at a more mom and baby friendly hospital. Of course, having such a wonderful place to live with such great people definitely makes all the difference!

Cowardly New World

Well Aldous, I hate to be the one to have to say it, but you were wrong.
Not totally wrong. Your book was amazingly prophetic where technology and the engineering of humanity is concerned, but the title didn't pan out.

We are not living in a Brave New World, we are living in an increasingly fearful world of those with "knowledge" of "the future" or "science" or "economics" or "whatsgoodforus" bullying those that have to look to the media for information.

What are we afraid of?

We are afraid of CO2.

We are afraid to cut down trees.

We are afraid of babies.

We are afraid of having too many babies.

We are afraid that holding prisoners of a nasty war that they started won't look good to the rest of the world.

We are afraid that having enough food, driving cars, heating our homes, wearing warm clothes, etc., won't look good to the rest of the world.

We are afraid to say NO to our kids.

We are afraid to eat Meat.

We are afraid of the Free Market System of government.

We are afraid of plastic.

We are afraid of being insensitive.

We are afraid of the TRUTH.

We are afraid of ourselves.

When will people inform themselves instead of listening to the voices of gloom and doom?
Some of these things are issues that we need to be moderately concerned about. Some of these things are things that we may need to get together and get our heads around, but we have to discern these things for ourselves.
We have GOT to get our heads out of the mainstream media!
The "AL" Channel, the "Obama" networks, the "Pelosi" Times.

I am willing to concede the importance of any of the issues that Power wails and gnashes it's teeth about, but only after I have looked around to see if there are any plausible arguments to the contrary. We need to form our consciences and intellects around more than the big three networks and the LA Times. The internet is right there. For the moment there is an unlimited wealth of knowledge to be had and authorities on all sides to weigh and measure.

When something as important as the economic stability of our country, or the lives and well-being of millions of people yet to be born is at stake, what is stopping us from taking the time to get the facts and then speaking the Truth BACK to Power? We have the information literally at our fingertips.

What would an informed citizenry mean to this country and our world?
They don't want to find out.