Category Archives: Patriotism

Advance

During the brief amount of time that I spent in Dallas I met some amazing people.  There were former ambassadors, cabinet members, chiefs of staff, public relation guru’s and former employees of the former President of the United States.  He was celebrating the groundbreaking of his Presidential Library with 3,000 of his closest friends and it seemed rather fitting that they all showed up for the party.

Prior to the ceremony, I was sitting with my sister-in-law and some of her friends from Washington D.C. in the big tent.  That big one pictured below.

One of these guys worked for the former President as part of the Advance Team.   I know, I know, I asked the same thing….just exactly what is Advance?

Evidently, the Advance team is made up of the people who do all the prep work before a Presidential trip.  They take care of all the details and logistics and security for the President’s arrival at any given place?

Anyway, while we were waiting for the groundbreaking ceremony to start, my sister-in-law’s friend Greg, the Advance man, (pictured immediately to my right) asked us if we noticed anything wrong with the stage.

Seriously? The stage looked really nice….large….Presidential and perfect.  Are you kidding me?  There is nothing wrong with that stage.  Really?

“Yes,” Greg said.  Something was seriously wrong with the set up and ‘heads were gonna roll’ over it.

Forgive the poor quality of my Nikon Coolpix, but do you notice anything terribly incorrect?

None of us could spot it – and I was sitting with people who have been in this type of situation many times before.  Thank goodness for that, but do you see it?

Just to give you an insiders perspective, it has nothing to do with the chairs (which are hard to see anyway) or with the podium.

Anyone?  Anyone?

Urban Cowboy

So, last night we went to the dinner for all the Bush/Cheney Alumni – and there were a lot of them.  It had a casual, western theme going with a good band, barbeque and beer…..

My sister-in-law ran into a ton of people she worked with in Washington D.C. so I pretended to be her personal paparazzi.

Until I ran into someone I knew from home and forced my sis-in-law to snap a quick photo… just to prove I was actually there.

After a while, the band that had been playing all night took a break and the crowd began to cheer.  At first, I thought it was applause for their performance until I saw who was on the stage….

My little Nikon Coolpix was probably not the best choice to document the trip – but it really doesn’t matter.  All politics aside, I am simply grateful for the opportunity to watch a little piece of history in the making.

Oh, and the Senator is getting sworn in today at the Capitol……

Dear John,

I watched your speech with anticipation last night as the Republicans picked up enough seats to claim the majority in the House of Representatives.  You will be their next leader, and I am looking forward to watching you as you set the legislative agenda for our country. Prior to last night, I was unfamiliar with your story, how you have worked hard at so many different jobs and truly lived the American dream.  I thank you for sharing that so eloquently with the American people. In fact, many of your newest members share similar stories.

I am a wife and mother living in Oklahoma and I care deeply for our country.  I feel incredibly fortunate to have been born here and want a better future filled with endless opportunities for my children and grandchildren.  I long for them to dream, and dream big knowing that they live in America, the land of the free and home of the brave.  I want them to believe that with hard work, patience and perseverance, anything is possible.  My husband and I have worked hard to instill in them those same values and ideals upon which our country was founded.

However, our children have been learning a different lesson from the examples being set in Washington.  They hear volumes of denigrating, partisan rhetoric and observe career politicians who serve for personal gain. They see a heavy handed government that acts as if it holds the solution to every problem, a wasteful government that punishes success and spends our money in frivolous fashion.

My children know better.  I think you know better.  I hope and pray that you do.  You now have an extraordinary opportunity to lead our country back to those timeless principles upon which it was founded.  Godspeed and good luck Mr. Speaker, we’re rooting for you! Our children’s future depends on it.

Sincerely,  a Senator’s wife in Oklahoma