I first saw this about a year ago, after a hard day. I remember standing in my roommate's room, with her and L7 and crying a bit. My dad retired from the military, and I am proud to say that I have 3 nephews who also serve. I feel that no matter what you think about the war that the US is in, you have to support the men and women fighting. They are risking everything. So a great big thank you to all of the Service men/women. Grab your tissues and watch friends!
Yesterday was a fun day. It had it's highs and lows, but I had quite an enjoyable time.
Let's start with work, shall we? I don't really love my job, but I love my boss. I know, we've talked about this before. We have soup at work now. That makes me happy. Especially when it's the Tomato Vegetable cause that's so tasty and only 93 calories a serving. YES! Sorry, digressing slightly.
A man wanted soup today, but we couldn't give it to him in a bowl with the lid because we didn't have any. They were coming in a shipment that was running late. As my manager explained this to him, she kept talking about how the bowls were supposed to be there and she couldn't understand what was taking the bowls so long. It really sounded like she was talking about how independent the bowls were and that they were total slackers for not arriving on time. I like to root for the underdog, so I told my manager to be nice. They have such little legs, and they don't have any eyes so they could read a map, or mouths to ask for directions... Ok, yes I'm strange.
After the customers left, I was in the back doing dishes and still thinking about the conversation. I know, move on. I turned to a co-worker and said, "If you think about it, proportionately bowls would have to have really little legs." Her response, "Yes.... But WHY would you think about it?" She wasn't being mean, she's not like that. She was honestly wondering. Why do I think of things like that? I don't know. But I do. So, we made a little bowl man, and named him Murry. Not to be mistaken with Murry, the evil-demonic talking Skull.
After work I went with 4 friends of mine to a marching band competition. Quite enjoyable. Even if our waiter (who we think may be a closet knitter) was the slowest thing this side of Zimbabwe. Really, who takes 90 minutes to eat at a Village Inn? You do if you have our server!
We then quickly ran to Wal*mart cause we were now running late to buy ponchos and umbrellas. I heard L5 say something I thought I would never hear (~snicker~) and we were on our way.
I would bet that those of you not living in this state are not aware of what happened last Saturday. On the way back from a competition there was a band (Not L7's) that had an accident. One bus went off the road and fell over killing the staff member on board. She died saving her kids. The bus driver passed out and this women jumped forward and grabbed the wheel. She stopped the accident from being worse, but she died in the process. To show support for this band, many bands decided to wear red ribbons on their uniforms. I didn't want to be left behind so I too was wearing a red ribbon. It was really neat to see red ribbons everywhere. Yes, it was still a competition, but it united the bands.
At the competition, we accidentally sat next to the bulk of the student body for this suffering school. There were probably close to 200 people there. I was very impressed by this. Most of these kids had no idea what was going on (as shown by the fact that they would start cheering right after I would. That was a really cool drum break... I scream, and then they start clapping and yelling too) But they were there to support their peers. As the band took the field, they all stood and started singing their school hymn. I wished that I knew the words so I could join. The show was marched (and done very well) There was a moment of silence for the fallen director, and then this group of students started singing Be Still My Soul. Many tears were shed. But there was an amazing spirit there. I'm not a crier, but I was close.
Yes, this band swept the competition. But they deserved it. I was so impressed by the student body. They cheered for EVERY band. I didn't hear them say a single negative word. They didn't know what was going on, but they knew that their peers could use their support. They came to support the geeky band kids. (I can say that, I was one of them) People say that the teens today are selfish and mean and lazy. Maybe some are, but the ones I met last night were kind, thoughtful and quite noble. Way to be!
PS. Do you ever feel the desire to eat with a really big spoon, just because you can? Even though you have a really small mouth? I do.
Oh crazy life. Well I'm mostly moved in. Oh, did you all know that I moved in with L7? Well I did. It's fun. L7 even gave me a super cute cuddly welcome present. I love sisters! I took a break from my unpacking to go to a special lunch.
There is a family in the valley who lost a son fighting in the war about five years ago. Now, every year they have a Ride for the Fallen. It's a fund raiser of sorts to raise money for scholarships. It's a really neat thing. I know many members of this family so I decided to be supportive. I don't have a motorcycle, so I couldn't join the 300 riders, but I could go and pay for lunch! I went at about 2:00 because that is when they start lunch, and they were expecting the riders any minute. It took all of the bikers quite a while to get there, but what a sight!
It was amazing to see these 300 people riding for a good cause. And it got me thinking. Bikers really get a bad rap. We tend to see them as selfish, mean, dirty, and just not nice people. But today I saw 300 of them. All of them paid money so they could pay for gas so they could ride four hours. They didn't have to. They really got nothing out of it, except for some wear and tear on their bikes. They did it because they care. As they all pulled into the parking lot, they were all smiling. They were very organized to make sure they could fit all of the bikes in. Sure some of them looked rough and I wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley, but they were there. They did this to serve. They broke the stereotype. It was actually almost an emotional thing for me. There was some beautiful music playing as a tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces, there were hundreds of flags lining the parking lot and sidewalks, the sun was shining... I can't really describe it. I'm glad I went.
I'm glad for people who serve. Whether it's riding a motorcycle 4 hours, or going to boot camp, I'm grateful for them. I heard some horrible stories about protesters who say horrible things because they don't agree with the war. There is a group of people who go to funerals for the fallen and have signs saying things like, "The only good soldier is a dead soldier". That makes me SOO mad! So I just want to say thanks. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for serving when there is opposition. Thank you for risking your life. Thank you for leaving your loved ones to help keep me safe. Thank you.
