in memory

Freedom Is Not Free

~ Kelly Strong 

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free. 

"America! America! God shed His grace on thee

and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea"

~ Katharine Lee Bates

big white envelope

The Big White Envelope arrived at our house a few days ago. We knew it was on it's way. We knew Davy's life would change forever upon opening it. We knew that this is where real faith kicks in. It was a surreal moment in time. How did we get to this point?! It took a lifetime, literally. It took more than I can ever put down into words. It took a great amount of effort from Davy, and a very difficult choice to make. He chose the higher road.

Preparing to open the BWE. Davy is shaking. Anticipation level is off the charts. My bottle of Tums is nearby. 

"Elder David Stratton Walker - 

Dear Elder Walker, You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Washington Kennewick Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 24 months. 

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, August 4, 2010. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language."

We're stunned and yelling WAHOOO and stunned and trying to let it sink in... and did I mention we were stunned? 

Reading over the formal letter and taking in the moment with my boy. When his older brother Daniel was called to serve in Argentina for 2 years, he was away at college and we didn't have the opportunity to be there with him in person. It was a special experience to be able to be together when Davy opened his mission call. 

The official letter and missionary packet... and a letter that Daniel wrote to Davy, for him to read after he opened his call. We found it perched on a shelf the morning Daniel left for Africa, after they had said their goodbyes xoxo

Davy's missionary portrait - the photo that melts my heart every time I look at it :)

(thank you Brad Smith - you're the best)

Davy did indeed settle into the idea of serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission, and he is excited for the adventure that awaits him. We couldn't be more proud of him or love him more - mission or no mission. We love him for exactly who he is, and are delighted that he has chosen to embrace this amazing experience. We know that through his choice to serve, he will learn and grow and be blessed for all of his efforts.

Thank you *EVERYONE* who has already been so loving and supportive with your phone calls, e-mails, Facebook comments, and countless hugs and congratulations in person. It has meant the world to all of us :)

   "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;

For I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

~ Matthew 11:28-30

crystal blue persuasion

So here we are at the finale - FINALLY! LOL! Personally, with the exception of a few other memorable Idol performances, I wish that we could have heard Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox exclusively the entire season. To me they were the only two that had any type of winning potential in the first place. I feel I would like to give props to Big Mike though, who I still believe has a lovely voice along with that big heart, and was constantly underrated. As a whole however, I have to agree with most of the whiners and complainers that this season was indeed a very strange season. It certainly had a group of nice kids, but boy did it lack talent and spark. 

But the finale is all about Lee and Crystal. And if you ask me, they are two very talented artists with mountains of potential still behind them. I think they have both suffered rough spots this season - that has been obvious. Lee's natural shyness, especially at first, took away his ability to express emotion and connect with his audience. Crystal had a similar flaw, but I don't think it was shyness as much as it was being socially awkward in front of so many people - I think she still is in fact. And many interpreted her coming across as aloof. But the girl literally transforms when she performs, like she enters another world and becomes the song she is performing. I think it's an amazing thing to watch, but it can also leave her disconnected with her audience. So both Lee and Crystal took the judges seriously and worked hard to improve and yet stay true to themselves. They both deserve congrats for how far they've come, and no matter how dorky this sounds, I consider both of them winners.

Time to talk about their actual performances!

Lee..... oh Lee..... My gut reaction was WHAT HAPPENED??? He could have taken the night but he didn't. 

The songs he sang were:

- The Boxer

- Everybody Hurts

- Beautiful Day

All genius song choices that Lee should have been able to conquer beautifully - I was thrilled when they announced each one. And pained watching each one. Here is Lee, with one of the best male voices I think American Idol has ever had, whose fan base seems to have skyrocketed within the last month, who I felt had possibly even passed up Crystal in popularity....... giving poor performance after performance on his very most important night. They were all dull and mournful. He was disconnected. He showed little emotion. He was even off key in some places. Ugh... As the British say, I was completely gobsmacked. And really sad for Lee. 

Crystal....... was a force not to be reckoned with. She took that Nokia Theater and put it in the palm of her hand.

The songs she sang were:

- Me and Bobby McGee

- Black Velvet

- Up To the Mountain

Looking absolutely stunning during every performance, Mamasox reminded us - and the judges - why we fell in love with her in the first place. Because she is unique. Because she is so captivating. Because she draws everyone into her version of whatever she is performing. Because she makes us feel that song with her. Because she has passion. Because she knows exactly who she is. As much as I love Lee, I would so love to see Crystal win this. They both have great stories. They will both go on to have amazing careers. They both deserve it. But to see Crystal as a favorite for the majority of the season, and then be tossed aside for a while...... that was hard to watch. Crystal came back like a phoenix to claim it, and claim it she did. WOW. 

this means you

I know, I know... it's been something dreadful like 3 days since I last posted. Please keep your shirts on. And I know this is asking a lot, but try not to get your panties in a bunch. In fact, put your Big Girl panties on. That's what I've been doing. That and eating TUMS. We've got STUFF going on at our house. That's right, STUFF. I am happy to report that it's GOOD STUFF. But just so much......... STUFF. So I don't know. My brain is paralyzed.

Don't worry - you'll eventually know what all the STUFF is about, so no need to have yourself a cruller. Everything is just too nutsy fagen right now. So much nervous energy - blaaaah. And besides, we all want to see who's going to win American Idol first, right? Of course we do. And I'll do my usual A.I. recap tonight. Oh - but I will report that my Daniel arrived safely in Uganda last week, and he is loving his research and everything else so far! Yay :)

Do you recognize this cute girl? 

This is Crystal Bowersox at 13 years old, singing an original song at a festival in Lake Huron, Ohio.

Her performance is sweet and mighty at the same time. You can see she is destined for musical greatness.

The embed tool was disabled by request, however you can still watch this performance here!

It will give you something to do and keep you out of trouble until American Idol is on tonight :)

And of course, now I want a freaking donut!

camouflage

It's no secret that the Mouse spends most of his free time dressed in camouflage from head to toe, unless of course he's wearing his dirt bike gear. The boy is All Things Army, and has been since he was about 9 years old. We're still trying to figure this out, thinking that it would be a passing phase. The Mouse has enjoyed a surprising variety of hobbies, and excelled at quite a few of them - from cake decorating to drum playing to making a small fortune selling grilled burgers and hot dogs hot off his own barbecue to passing drivers. The kid stops at nothing.    

So nearly 6 years later, I'm still surprised/impressed/amused/proud/(would 'terrified' be a bad word to use here?) that the Mouse is even more immersed in the Armed Forces than he was at age 9. He knows more war facts than anyone I know. Ask him ANYTHING about WWII - he'll have the answer. He's a military dictionary of weaponry, tanks, planes, you name it - ours or any other countries'. His arsenal of military gear, both new and vintage, is astounding. The Screaming Eagles are his heros. He wants to be a part of the Green Beret Special Forces. Am I sure he is my son? The peace-loving, war-hating, tie-dye-wearing hippie? We must look quite a sight together :/

(this is the photo that gives me the biggest heebie-geebies... saluting and looking so serious

 with all that gear on... it just looks a little too real... I am NOT ready for that yet Mouse!) 

But this post is about today! The Mouse has been waiting for this day for months. And months and months. Because right now at this very moment, he is out in the California desert at an undisclosed location, shooting the holy crap out of targets and blowing the living daylights out of propane tanks disguised as Adam Lambert. Hey, it wasn't my idea - I love the Lam. But our awesome friend Larry makes this trip every year, and the Mouse is finally old enough to go with him. I'm not sure the boy could have possibly been any more excited than he was. I can't wait to hear the stories. Because oh, there will be stories. That Mouse is a certified, nonstop talker. And talker.  

Now before you get the wrong impression, I want to set things straight. You already know how much I love the Mouse. I love my country too. I do not always agree with the deployment of our troops (because I don't think I will ever agree with either political party... but that's a whole other topic), however I always have, and I always will, support our troops. I pray for our troops, and I appreciate our troops - all those that came before, all those in the present, and all those in the future. I have friends whom I love, whose sons, nephews, and nieces are serving. My own wonderful nephew will be flying in the Air Force in the future. I am proud of my son that he is brave and wants to serve his country. What mother wouldn't be proud of that? But what mother wouldn't be frightened at the same time, especially in this day and age, to see her child enter the military? The awfulness of war, the trauma that accompanies it, the thought of losing my son... it is hard for me. But Mouse, you know I will support you.

That being said... this is as close to camouflage as I have ever come - and as close as you will ever see me get. 

My tie dye socks camouflaged by my laptop skin :D

And here is MY little statement on the back of my bug 

And the only dog tags you will ever see me wear

But this smile will always light up my life even if it is wearing camouflage ❤

how it all started + I meant to do that

So many of you have commented on and off the blog, on Facebook, in e-mails, in person, etc. (thank you mucho for all your delightful and very fun comments) that I decided to do this follow-up post. Lots of you asked questions about how I got the idea in the first place. Those of you who know me well, know that A) I rarely go with anything normal, and B) my brain overfloweth with quirky ideas 24/7 whether I want it to or not. An off switch would be nice. So as stated in my original post, the album cover Meet The Beatles! was the inspiration for these photos. 

These photos were taken by a photographer friend about 10 years ago, when the boys were about 4, 9, and 14. These aren't the photos that ended up on our wall, but they give you an idea of how they turned out. And how she didn't quite get my vision. Even though the album cover was right in front of her. Luckily, the ones on our wall (too big for my scanner) showed some great personality and I do love them. But I always wanted to give it another go, so I figured before my boys split up yet again, destined for far away places all over the globe, now was the time.

Our entryway used to be covered with our favorite albums, and the Mouse was really entranced with it. Which is probably why he's also entranced with the Beatles and Crosby Stills & Nash. This is kind of an odd photo but I thought it was cool to take a photo of him taking a photo. If you've never seen the original Meet The Beatles! album, look right above his head and to the left. Now you finally know the inspiration behind the boys' photos :)

So did you miss my American Idol recap this week? Were you on the edge of your seat waiting with baited breath? Did you knock your teeth out when you fell asleep and rolled out of your chair and your face hit the floor? Yeah, that's what I thought. Well, to be completely honest, I TOTALLY FORGOT MEANT TO DO THAT. I watched the show of course, and then decided to let you guys make your own decision about the final 3 contestant's songs. I mean seriously, I'm tired of carrying you along. It's time you made up your own mind. 

All right, all RIGHT. Tuesday night was NUTS over here in Walkerville. I did watch the show much later that night. I was not overly impressed by anyone, even Lee and Crystal who have been my favorites from the beginning. I thought they gave GREAT performances - don't get me wrong - but not their best performances overall. I do think that at one point they were favoring Crystal as the frontrunner - in fact, for most of the competition. But in the last few weeks things seem to have changed. Though it's clear they genuinely like both Crystal and Lee - as well they should, since they are both extremely talented - I think they are gearing Lee up to be the winner. I would be happy for either one, and would buy a CD from both no matter. What do you think? I guess we'll find out next week! 

the boyz

Meet The Beatles! Meet The Walkers! A tribute to the famous album cover, I'll let these pics speak for themselves

~ the photographer with her favorite subjects, whom she happens to love very much ~
and special thanks to Daniel for some photoshop magic :)

xoxoxo

Nie

I realize a lot of my readers already know and love Stephanie Nielson, and follow her blog, the Nie Nie Dialogues.

She is an inspiration to anyone and everyone who knows her incredible story. And she is a real human being. 

She has been blessed with faith and loved ones in her life, in order to help her recover and cope with her new life.

But she still has a choice to make every single painful day, as the mother of 4 young kids. What a journey. 

I know we all have trials and triumphs and tragedies we go through in our lives. None of us are exempt.
It's impossible to know how we will react when we are faced with something... until we are faced with something.
I do know, that like Nie, we will have a choice to make every single painful day. No matter what type of pain.


If you've never read the Nie Nie Dialogues, I encourage you to click on the blue hyperlink above and start reading.
But for today, I invite you to find 10 minutes to view the video below, and prepare to be touched by an angel.  

the long and winding nose

Remember THIS POST? So many of you kind and caring friends have continued to ask how my nose is doing and when I'm going to post an update. As my friend Traci would say, bless your cotton socks - thanks for caring :) I was a bit embarrassed for being so dramatic about the whole nose episode/crisis/freak show, and was hoping to quietly fade it into the background. Even for the open book that I am, I don't make it a habit to speak on topics such as what goes on up inside my nose. That may overstep the boundaries of tasteful blogging. YA THINK? But it has been a long and winding road - hence today's poignant images of famous long and winding noses.  

Poor Cyrano. Can you even imagine? But ah, what a great story. And if you've never seen the movie Roxann with Steve Martin, then you must, MUST see it. But I digress. I'm happy to say that my ENT says he SEES IMPROVEMENT!!! Which means tissue is indeed, slowly but surely, starting to grow back over the cartilage in my nose! No biopsy needed as of yet, and if things continue to go well, it won't be necessary. He said it will take quite some time to show real improvement so my next appt. is not for a month. But in the meantime I'll continue doing all the fun stuff like antibiotic ointment up my nostrils, blah, blah, blah. I'm just  SOOO RELIEVED I don't have to even think about Plan B. Because we all know that Plan B would have been a skin graft from my butt. And the last thing I need in this world is for my boys to find out I have butt skin up my nose. I would never - EVER - for the rest of my entire life, live that down. "Hop in the car kids - we're going to go visit Nana Buttnose" :/

So speaking about long and winding noses, this would be the first one that always comes to my mind. I had to include a few photos of the Child Catcher from "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". He is the stuff children's nightmares are made of - at least to me he was! To this day, I still get the chills when I see him. OOOH SHUDDER :0

Cinematic Idolatry

Top 4 Contestants Perform Cinema Songs with Jamie Foxx as Mentor

1) Lee - "Kiss From a Rose" - I love Lee's voice, as you all know... so I'm sorry to say I was very disappointed with his performance. It could mostly be because I have never cared for this song, but Lee did get off to a rough start, and seemed to be off key in several other places. I don't think he's in too much danger though.

2) Big Mike - "Will You Be There?" - Another strange song choice in my opinion, but it did sound nice. Not anything earth shattering, but well arranged, and I still appreciate Mike's beautiful, underrated voice. 

3) Casey - "Mrs. Robinson" - Aside from the judges acting like fools, I thought Casey not only chose a fantastic song, but I really enjoyed his unique version of it. I think he could have added a tad more charisma to amp it up, but it's a classic song that he made modern - isn't that what they're always asking for?

4) Crystal - "I'm Alright" - I'LL SAY! I know, I know - every week I gush over Crystal, but I can't help it. She takes every song and has this amazing talent of turning it into something of her own. It's musical genius, and I look forward to it every week. I know she's had a few rough weeks, but overall she consistently delivers.

Duet 1) Lee & Crystal - "Falling Slowly" - FANTASTIC :)

Duet 2) Casey & Mike - "Have You Ever Loved a Woman?" - FANTASTIC :)

My predictions? 

Either Big Mike or Casey would be the logical choice to say goodbye, but I really have no clue...

They've both had a lot of ups and downs... Mike has the best voice, but Casey is the heartthrob...

I'm going to guess Mike, even though in all fairness, I think it should be Casey...

YOUR turn! What do YOU think?    

*Post-Elimination rant: Big Mike was robbed. He deserved one more week. But he took it with such grace.

taking inventory

Sometimes I'm at a complete loss as of what to write about or post on. Hard to believe, I know. Sometimes I have such a long list of things I want to share, I can hardly get to it fast enough. Go figure. Since my blog would mostly fit into the category of a "lifestyle" blog, I always try to have a balance of different topics. I don't do "just" crafts, or "just" photography. I don't write only about my life/family (although lately that might be easy to dispute!). You get the idea. I try hard to balance a combination of topics that are meaningful to me and that you will relate to and enjoy also. Parenting, humor, crafts, our pets and animal rights, Etsy artists, the joy of little things, photography, occasional recipes, (diet coke and ruffles), personal thoughts, home design, tender moments, color, music, and of course, all things wild :) And those are the main, tip-of-the-iceberg topics. At least - in my pointed little head - this is how I see my blog. Is this how you see it? Perhaps it would be good for me to know. Things have seemed a little out of balance lately. My readership is up, but my comments are down. This leaves me confused. Is something wrong? Is it Nothing and I'm making it into Something? I don't really want an "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME" blog. Even though it's all about me :/ But it's not really all about me. It's only somewhat about me. And written by me. But mostly just orchestrated by me. See, there's a difference. There's a difference, I tell you! Writing, entertaining, having fun... it's all good. Narcissism... not so good. 

Anyway. Since this is a lifestyle blog and I have a lot of life to do today, I'm going to get on with it. I hope you all had a LOVELY Mother's Day! I certainly did, and am so grateful for my husband and my beautiful boys :) And tonight is American Idol, so get ready for yet another recap for tomorrow's blog post (not about me - HAH)!!!


P.S. All your comments have been so kind and thoughtful... thank you my friends!!! Much love to you!!! XOXO