September 11th always holds quite a bit of emotion for me, both good and bad.  That day was a roller coaster for my family. Sadly this year, every where that I went it seemed more like any other day.  Even I had wanted to put up several flags in my front yard, but my plans never materialized. All I can say, is Thank you to all who have defended the freedoms we cherish in this country and all I can do is hold my family a little tighter and love them a little more.

Okay, so I don't usually rant and rave about Politics.  I have opinions, but a lot of the time I keep them to myself or share them sparingly.  It's just who I am, and I think that it's mostly because I hate the current state, which I see as mostly finger pointing and name calling and not enough problem solving.  Which usually throws logic and reason out the window. There's been a lot in the media lately about the speech delivered by President Obama this morning to the school children throughout the country.  It's caused quite an uproar, which I think is ridiculous. I completely agreed with my friend Nichole's comments here (and even my own response to her post).  What a great chance to talk to your children and to this schools that opted out.  Your students missed out on a great chance to hear the President of the United States speaking directly to them, the youth of America. You can see the text of his speech here (looks pretty controversial doesn't it?).

I'm so thankful for places like Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor and Arlington. Thank you to all of the Men and Women who have provided and protected the freedoms that we continue to enjoy in this great country today. I'm especially grateful to those for whom I'm able to call my friends and family, one of which is my Grandfather in the photo below, who have served.  You all know who you are.  Whether I tell you directly or indirectly (such as posts like this one), please know how much my family and I appreciate your service, whether you are currently serving or it was many decades ago. I remember sitting in front of the TV on day that the US went into Iraq in 1991 listening to the reports of what was happening.  Hearing about the jets and were leading the attacks and that they were doing this to bring freedom to the Kuwaiti people. I wished that I could be there.  Secretly I've always wished that I could serve in the military and defend this great country myself, but due to some physical limitations they would never have taken me.  So my whole life I've sat on the sidelines and watched the rest of you with pride. So Thank You for your service.

If only I could borrow the Delorean, I'd high tail it to Gettysburg, PA and punch in the date of June 30, 1863. I'm not sure that it would have been possible to just watch and not been thrust into action, but it would have been cool and yet heartbreaking to have been able to see and hear history in the making. I guess that I'll have to settle for watching the Hollywood version.

144 years ago today marked the official beginning of the end of the U.S. Civil War. General Robert E. Lee officially surrendered but it still took a while for the word to get out and for the actual fighting to stop all around the country. Being able to visit Appomattox last summer was a bit of a lifelong dream finally able to come true.  Though we didn't get a chance to spend much time there, it was still neat to spend some time where some of the men that I've heard about my whole life actually walked and did the things that I've learned about in a classroom.

Today would have been Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.

I selected and began reading the book that I'd like to read for the remainder of my break. It's Soul of the Lion - A Biography of General Joshua L. Chamberlain.  I bought it while in Gettysburg this summer.  I've always been interested in Chamberlain's life and am excited to read it.  Now I just need to force myself to sit down and take a few moments to read.  So far I'm on page 18.  I've got a long way to go before next Monday.

Well I voted this morning.  I hate the election season.  Not because of what it stands for, but mostly because of what it has become. I hate all of the political ads, the positioning, the jabs, etc.  It's to the point where I don't feel like I can ever really get a good idea of what a candidate stands for and what he will do in office.  I especially don't feel like there are many candidates who represent what I stand for and what I feel, so I always have a tought time deciding who to vote for. My wife and I joked that we could just vote the opposite of each other.  That way we'd essentially cancel out each others votes.  I realize that this really isn't how it should go, but by the time the first Tuesday in November rolls around I'm usually ready just for it to all go away. Too bad we just can't have the candidates report for Spring Training and then consider Election Day the "World Series". I'm hoping that those elected today prove me wrong however.

[hidepost]We're in DC today.  My family spent the day in the District while I spent the day working from Cec's apartment. As soon as I was done working I rushed out the door, caught the Metro and met them at the National Archives.  Only to find that the Archives had closed earlier than we had been told. Which is too bad because in the several times I've been to DC, I've always wanted to see the National Archives and have yet to be able to see them.  Oh well, maybe next time. Tonight, we're leaving the kids with Cec and are heading out for a night in a hotel by ourselves.  Believe me, we've been looking forward to it for quite some time now. You can see photos of my family's day in DC here.[/hidepost]

Spent part of the day at Camp Floyd, near Fairfield Utah. As a fan of Civil War history it was interesting to see a piece of Utah history that is connected to the Civil War. I bought a book on General John Buford.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to read it before visiting Gettysburg later this year.