Some Political Soundoff...

I don't have a lot of people in my life right now with whom I can discuss politics and current events. I don't know why that is. I love all of my friends, but they just aren't that interested in those topics. No big deal...However, this entry will be a soundoff because I just need to vent about an issue. So there's your fair warning...if you don't care, don't read.

OH MY FREAKING GOODNESS!! I don't know if you have heard about the situation in Cambridge,MA. You can read about it at the link in the post above in more detail, but basically a woman called the police and said that she saw two black men with backpacks apparantly trying to break into a house. It turns out the house belonged to one of the men: Gates, a professor and head of the African American Studies Department at Harvard University. The police came out and responded to the incident as you would hope that they would in a situation (or possible situation as the case may be). From the time the officer arrived he was berated with comments about him being racist for being there. Once the professors residency was verified the officer informed Gates that he was going to be going outside because he was done there and he needed to hear his radio because he couldn't inside and that Gates was free to follow him if he still needed to talk to him. Gates chased him outside (apparently his cane wasn't necessary at that moment) and continued to berate him and accuse him of racism and other ridiculous claims. It was then that the officer warned him that if he didn't calm down (it was night and a crowd was forming) then he was going to have to arrest him for disorderly conduct. Guess what: he didn't calm down! So, he got arrested. The police did decide to drop the charges after a couple hours in jail. Then, Obama feels the need to put his two sense in without even knowing the situation. He called the police stupid! Stupid! STUPID! Are you kidding me!?!? This officer is the officer who trains people on how NOT to racial profile. He responded to a call, LIKE HE SHOULD! He verified residency and identity and dealt with Gates professionally which is more than I can say for me and how I would have responded to an irrational crazy man spouting political propaganda! Stupid! Really? STUPID is not staying calm when the police come to your house and you know you are in the right. STUPID is creating racism out of thin air in order to control people. STUPID is not cooperating with the police who are trying to protect your property. STUPID is stabbing the police in the back on national television. STUPID is not appreciating the men and women of this country who keep us and our property safe every second of every day. STUPID is assuming that the racial profiling that does happen and is a serious issue has ANYTHING to do with this. STUPID is assuming that everytime a policeman/woman comes in contact with a person of color that it is racial profiling. STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!!! There is something seriously wrong with our country when a police officer can do his job with no regard to any color of anyone's skin and yet the people he is trying to protect will use their race to paint the officer in a negative light. I can respect actual discrimination and racism as issues. I think they are wrong and we need to move past them. However, I can't respect anyone of any color using their color to assume wrongdoing when there is none. I thouhg the whole point of civil rights was to make it so that it doesn't matter what your skin color is, everyone has the same opportunities available to them. Now civil rights are used as a way to constantly point out that there are differences. Our skin colors will always be different. We are a diverse people. But just because you are black or brown or purple or yellow or blue doesn't mean that anything I say to you is racially charged. And Obama should be ashamed to have commented on that. If you really want to inspire a generation of black men and women, then put an end to this. Don't encourage people to point out their own skin color and create differences. Lets try to find a way to put aside our difference and trust that we will all treat each other as humans. To accept that we all look different from the color of our skin to the color of our hair to everything. We are all unique. We are all different. Deal with it! and Don't be stupid. Mad props to the Cambridge Police Department for standing behind Officer Crowley. This is the first time I have ever been proud of anything happening in or originating from Cambridge, MA. ROCK ON!!!

A look at the past: July 19, 2005

2:15 in the morning I woke up needing to use the bathroom as most hugely pregnant women do. I came to get back into bed and as I went to climb up, felt like I had to pee again. Frustrated I turned to go back towards the bathroom and as I did, my water broke. I woke Mike up out of a dead sleep. He didn't know which way his head was. We called the midwife and she told us to come on in so they could check to make sure that the cord didn't slip out as her head had not engaged yet. We went in and quickly found out that Mary Kate was breech. In other words, we had to have a C-section. Not the birth we had planned, but at that point I didn't care. I wanted to meet my baby. At 8:03 AM on Tuesday July 19th, 2005, we met our precious baby girl for the first time. Mary Katelyn Borghese, 7lb. 8oz., 20 in. and a full head of dark hair. Happy 4th birthday baby! I love you so much!

A look at the past: July 18, 2005

4 years ago today I was waking up from an unexpectedly peaceful nights' sleep. I had been having contractions the night before and thought for sure I would be having the baby soon. Alas, I was still pregnant and all quiet on the labor front. Since I had called my midwife the night before to let her know we might be in labor, she called the next morning and wanted me to come in and get checked out. Begrudgingly I went. When I got there the midwife checked me and proceeded to tell me to relax and be patient, afterall my due date was still 2 weeks away and I was not dialated at all and it was my first baby. She told me that she didn't see me going into labor anytime soon. I was frustrated and angry with the stupid midwife. Who says that to a woman who is 38 weeks pregnant? Anyways, I went home and that night we had dinner at my mother and father in law's house. It was meatballs and ravioli. So delicious!!! I went to bed that night with a new resolve. I told God that if he wanted me to believe that I was in labor, he was going to have to prove it. I wouldn't believe it until my water broke. I wasn't having any contractions anyways, so I figured the midwife was right, It probably wasn't going to happen anytime soon! Little did I know...

A look at the past: July 17, 2005

Four years ago today I woke up still pregnant. It was a Sunday morning and I was so ready to have my first baby. We got up and went to church like always. While there I told the VBS director that since I wasn't going to be working anymore and obviously wasn't having the baby anytime soon that I would come up during the coming week and help out wherever she needed me. We went to Olive Garden for lunch after church and had soup, salad and breadsticks-one of my favorites while I was pregnant. My best friend Pam joined us. It was delicious and I was looking forward to my favorite part-the cold hard Andes mint chocolate waiting for us at the end of the meal with our check. Well, guess what, our waitress forgot to bring them with our check. So, we waited. But she forgot to bring them when she brought back the credit card reciept. I was so annoyed (as pregnant women sometimes get quite easily towards the end of a pregnancy). I really really REALLY wanted that mint. I refused to leave until I had it, but the waitress hadn't walked by again. I think Mike even offered to go to the store and buy me a box of them if we could just leave, but I wanted that mint then and there. I think we only waited about 5 minutes or so, but it seemed like so much longer. Finally, I got her attention and she brought them. I am almost positive she thought we were freaks! Anyways, that night at church we had a VBS sign up fellowship dinner to get people signed up. I was miserable. It was hot, the church had no air conditioning and I was having contractions. Only, I didn't want to tell anyone because I was sure they would go away. So, on the way home my mom and Mike decided to try driving down a bumpy road to see if that would get my labor started. I was miserable in the back seat, bouncing up and down now. At that point I told them that I had been having contractions. We went home and started timing them. They were still inconsistent, but some were 5 minutes apart and some were more. I took a shower and decided to try and get some sleep. The last thing I remember that night was laying in bed with Mike timing contractions. I did not go into labor on July 17th. I would stay pregnant at least another day.

A look at the past: July 16, 2005

4 Years ago today I almost put a rock through my downstairs neighbor's car window. I was 37 wks and 5 days pregnant with a my first baby. At the time we didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. It was a Saturday and my mom had flown in from Kentucky two days earlier because I had been having some contractions. We though our baby might come earlier than our Aug. 1st due date. Anyways, Mom was here, Mike was working, It was HOT (well...for Massachusetts), and we decided we would walk the baby out. We got up that morning and went to the mall, and Babies R Us, and BJ's (similar to Sams or Costco-but better). We were out for several hours. I think we had lunch out as well. Anyways, we pulled up to the house around 4 in the afternoon with a car full of groceries and shopping bags. As I pulled up I realized that I couldn't get my car in my half of the driveway. The half that was reserved for my car, paid for by our rent. The reason I couldn't get my car in the driveway was because our downstairs neighbor had some friends over and let them park in her side of the driveway. Well, the one next to my spot decided to park diagonal across both spots. I SAW RED!!! I knocked on her door but no answer. I am not normally this easily enraged, but I was done being pregnant and I was hot and tired and I was mad! I quickly called the landlord and informed him that he needed to have his first floor tennant move her friend's car. During this time, Mike came downstairs to help unload the groceries. When he got downstairs, I was moving the rocks that outlined the edge of the gravel driveway and separated it from the yard. These were not little rocks folks. These were 10 lb. watermelon sized rocks. And remember, I am hugely pregnant! I was so mad that I was picking them up to put a line down the middle of the driveway. I decided to throw a few. Now, I remember this slightly more innocently than Mike does, but according to him he had to restrain me from throwing it through her car window. I don't think I was ever that close to doing it. I remember the thought crossing my mind and I was holding a rock at the time, but I also remember that I wasn't actually going to do it. In the end, her friend moved their car and all was well. I didn't go into labor that night. I stayed pregnant a bit longer.

Summer Pictures

Summertime Fun!

So, It has been forever. Summer has been absolutely insane. I think I have to stop treating life as if it is weird for it to be insanely busy. That just is our life now. I should be surprised if it isn't insanely busy. Anyways, its the good kind of insane right now though, where we get to spend tons of time together as a family. Mike is back on a somewhat normal work schedule for the summer and so has had his weekends off. That has been quite nice. We got to go out on our first date night since last October back in June. It had been a while. However, with coupons for free burgers at Tom's diner in Arlington and a gift card to AMC Cinema and going on a Monday night when ticket prices are half price, we had a very cheap and enjoyable date night. The end of June, my youngest sister, Kim, had her first baby. It was a baby girl named Haylie Anne. She is precious! Mike took some time off of work and we took a long weekend over the 4th to go see her, Shonda and her fam, and my parents who were down to see the baby. It was such a relaxing vacation. We stayed with Shonda's inlaws at their house in Friendswood. They live on like 70 acres of land and it is gorgeous. No TV, No internet, Family, friends and a pool! It was great! On Friday, Mike helped my brother in-law Mark rob bees of honey. He helped with this last year and had a blast, so it is kindof becoming a 4th of July tradition. It is the best honey EVER!!!! While helping, Mike got "attacked" by a be in the eyebrow and as a result, his eye was swollen shut for most of the 4th. I am sure he would agree, though, that it was worth it! The girls are doing good. Mary Kate is almost 4. Less than a week until her birthday. I am in the process of planning her party right now and as usual, she keeps changing her mind!!! She is actually on the verge of losing her party right now actually. It seems 4 has brought back a lot of the behaviors of 2 just with a bigger vocabulary to actually express how she feels or how bad she wants me to feel. It is quite an adventure each day just making it through. Aside from that she is her sweet, bossy, helpful self. Brianna is growing and happy as always. She still hasn't broken that tooth through, but I am hoping it will come soon. It is raised up and ready to pop through at any moment. It just won't. She is still rather lackadaisical about eating solid food. She will take it if you give it, but she won't eat all of it usually, and she would just as soon prefer to nurse. I don't know about her. :) She is a sweetheart though. It has been fun to watch her recently as her and Mary Kate have started to interact a lot more. Two other big things in our life and I will end. First, I have started watching a little girl named Kenzie. She is a sweetie pie and has really just fit right in with our family from day one. She is 22 months old and very smart. She reminds me a lot of how Mary Kate was at that age. This arrangement has really been a blessing for both our family and hers. There is no doubt it was divinely arranged. Also, Mike and I have decided to reapply to apartment life. We still feel called to this ministry and are hoping that this time will be God's timing. Pray for us as we complete the application process and head into our interviews. I am going to post a seperate post full of recent pics.