Ben’s HOME!!!

Ben came home to Massachusetts last Friday night.  There was a huge crowd at Providence’s (RI) T.F. Green Airport to welcome our hero home!  (My mom Ellen is holding the yellow sign and I am in the center with my head cut off.  Ben’s mom Mary is kneeling in front of me, Ben’s girlfriend Lindsey is on the floor holding the red “Ben”sign and Ben’s daughter Hailey at age 6 1/2 is also on the floor next to Lindsey and Mary. )

 It was such an emotional homecoming.  We all got to hug and kiss Ben individually and then take pictures with him.  As soon as I saw him, I couldn’t stop crying.  Therefore, I am only showing happy pictures.   My sign read that Ben had been away for 221 days, 12 hours, 56 minutes and too many seconds to count.  It was great to see my parents be able to greet Ben too.  So here’s Ben and his “other” parents and his sister Karen Marie.

Ben, you are our hero, and we are all so proud of you and your fellow soldiers!  It’s so good to have you home!

Oprah goes Jonas Brothers

I really don’t watch Oprah much, but I was flipping through the channels yesterday and the ad for yesterday’s show showed that one of her guests was going to be the “hot” boy band The Jonas Brothers.  So I decided to watch the show.  Now, we all know that I am way past the age of going ga-ga over boy bands, but there is something different about the Jonas Brothers.  I first found out who they were when I took Addie (who’s almost 8 now!) to see “The Hannah Montana Movie” (in 3-D at the Providence Place Mall!)  That was an experience.  A theater full of teens and tweens screaming and singing with the songs.  Adddie loved the movie and was singing along with all of the kids.  It was so funny!  So after the movie, the Jonas brothers became “our boyfriends.”  Every time they’d come on the radio, Addie would shush me and then sing along with their hit “When you look me in the eyes.”  When I got so sick with the pneumonia, I couldn’t spend time with Addie, so she’d call me on the phone, and if I was sleeping, she’d leave the message on my answering machine with her singing “When you look me in the eyes…”  That always cheered me up!  So I watched the Jonas Brothers on Oprah, and they are such good role models for the young kids, I’m really glad that Addie is excited about them and their music.  For all of us old farts here’s the youtube link to the Jonas Brothers

Pennsylvania Politics

Either David Gergen or Paul Begala (Democratic strategists, I can’t remember which one) made a very interesting comment tonight on CNN that the longer this primary season for the Democrats goes on, the more likely it would be that whoever wins the nomination (Clinton or Obama), would have to pick the other for the Vice President in order to “heal the party.”  I don’t know if I agree with that comment, but I know that I am ready for the primaries to be over and for the general election campaign to begin.  I want to hear about the ISSUES!  Here is a list of 10 issues for the candidates that are important to me that I want answered (not in any particular order, and I’ve probably left some off.)

1) How are we going to get health care for everyone (like we have in the state of Massachusetts) and how is it going to be paid for?

2) What is the plan for obtaining a long lasting peace in the Middle East (from Iraq to Iran to Palestine and Israel and the Holy Lands, etc?)

3) What is the policy going to be for scientific research.  Including stem cell research, funding for new medications, funding for research on diseases?

4) What will the policy be on women’s reproductive rights? 

5) What will the policy be on the environment, especially renewable energy, and reducing the dependence on oil?

6) What will the policy be on reducing the number of people going hungry through out the world?

7) What will the policy be towards the nations that have massive debts, and have people suffering from hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS, curable diseases, unclean drinking water, etc?

8 ) What will the policy be to bridge the gap between the classes in America?  How can bridges be built between the races, genders, economic statuses, etc?

9) What will the policy towards literacy for all children be?

And finally…..

10) Can we finally get a national anthem that is singable and really has a lot of meaning.  (I mean the War of 1812, come on?)  I’m suggesting “America the Beautiful.”  I know that it refers to God, but it really captures the spirit of America!

Boston Bruins Hockey… and more!

Well, the hockey season is over officially tonight in Boston.  The Bruins made it to the quarter finals.  They made a good run winning the last two games, but just couldn’t pull it off in game seven against Montreal.  But this was a great year to be living in the Northeast for sports.  All FIVE of our professional sports teams of the 2007-2008 seasons made it to the playoffs.  Last summer the New England Revolution placed second.  The Red Sox won the baseball World Series.  The New England Patriots well, what can I say… they did make it to the Superbowl, but just didn’t win.   The Boston Bruins hockey team made it to the quarterfinals (as I said.) …… AND the Boston Celtics basketball team are in the playoff hunt too (they beat the Atlanta Hawks last night 104-81 )  So it’s been really exciting here lately!

The Red Sox and the Revolution have begun their seasons already so for the past week or so it’s been great having a choice of 4 different sports to watch on tv as I still recover from the pneumonia that first knocked me out in January and then put me in the hospital in March.  I’m still pretty much staying at home nursing my right lung back to health.

Hope you all are doing well!

My Birthday

So many thanks to all of you for your kind wishes on my birthday (which was this past Sunday.)  And as a friend of mine Loki says, I’m one year younger than older than dirt.  (Because he is older than dirt and I am a year younger than him.  You do the math.)  Unfortunately because of the pneumonia, I had to stay at my house, but my parents brought in my favorite food: Chinese from the Golden Panda.  I had Veggie Lo Mein and my absolute favorite Chicken and broccoli.  I got some cute cards, one especially from 5 year old Varnai, who wished “her Auntie Karen a happy birthday.”  It was done in red crayon.  Too sweet.  All of your phone calls and e-mails have been so much appreciated, I cannot tell you.  I also got a prayer letter from Immanuel.  That I hung on my fridge.  Again, thanks to all for your lovely sentiments!

Watching ABC special on “The Last Lecture”

I saw the Oprah show where Prof. Randy Pausch delivered an abbrievated version of his “Last Lecture” and now ABC is doing a special on him.  This amazing man was diagnosed with cancer last fall and given about six months to live.  He delivered a lecture to the faculty and staff at Carnegie Mellon University about everything he’s learned during his life time.   Here’s the entire lecture, but you can go to youtube and search “The Last Lecture”

Opening Day at Fenway Park

I’m at home waiting for my pneumonia to clear and right now I’m watching the Boston Red Sox begin their season at home at Fenway Park.  I watched the pregame, and it was really cool that they had Bill Buckner throw out the first pitch.  (For those of you who have no idea who Bill Buckner is.  He used to be a dreaded Boston word who in 1986 was accused of losing the World Series with an error at first base.) Daisuke Matsuzaka is the starting pitcher for the Sox today.  I am so psyched that baseball is beginning again.  Something to look forward to.  Gotta go, the game’s going to start!  Go SOX!!

Rumor has it…

The rumor mill on this the 200th day that Ben has been deployed in Iraq, is that he is going to be able to come home for a week’s worth of vacation later this month.  That would be awesome to see him again.  I’ve been getting updates from his mom, Mary, his daughter Hailey (who at 6 1/2 is still so cute!) and from Ben’s girlfriend Lindsey.  So we had a LOT to celebrate at church this Easter.  Miss ya Ben.  Stay safe and come home soon!

Pneumonia…again (actually still)

Thanks to all of you for being worried about me.  I spent the past week in the hospital for the pneumonia that I had in January that never went away.  I had been losing my balance recently, had fevers and sweats, and had been tired for the past couple of months.  I went to my doctor on Thursday and she sent me to the ER.  The chest x-ray came back IDENTICAL to the one that was taken in January, so the doctors decided to admit me to give me anti-biotics, breathing treatments and eventually steroids.  I was released yesterday, but am really tired.  The doctors found that I have a post-pneumonia infection in my chest too.

So thanks to everyone for you great support.  I’ll write more when I have more energy.  Happy Spring!