Memorial Day Service in Luxembourg on 5/30/2011

I'm a little late in posting about the Memorial Day service we attended in Luxembourg on May 30, 2011. What can I say? Sometimes life gets busy :0). My philosophy is better late than never so I would like to share about our day today.

I was so happy to learn that the service didn't start until 2pm. Call me lazy if you want but I was still not feeling well that weekend. It is about an hour drive from where we live to the cemetery and I was looking forward to resting up until the moment I had to leave. The only drawback about the whole trip is that the AC in the van went out again that morning. Nick had just taken it in to get fixed two weeks prior to our trip so we are not sure why it went out again. One of the good things about the trip is that a fellow homeschooling mom and her daughter joined us for the festivities; her husband was playing TAPS at the end of the ceremony.

The Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial is home to those soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge during WW2.  Here is a link to the official website of The Luxembourg American Cemetery that shares the historical details of the Battle of the Bulge and the memorial erected in honor of those who died.  There is also a video link so you can see the grounds yourself.

The ceremony began with a flyover.  Those are always awesome!!  The guest speaker was a Navy Admiral (whose name I forgot).  One of the interesting tidbits he shared in his speech was that over the generations there was 97 years of military service between his grandpa, dad, himself, and his son.  To me that is amazing.

We also learned that General Patton was buried there.  From what we learned at the cemetery he wanted to be buried on the same ground as his men. No special burial ceremony or location for him.  He was a great American leader who once said, "Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood."

It's a little late, but I would like to thank those who serve, have served, and sacrificed their lives so that my family and I may live in freedom.  God Bless you all!

                                             GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Today I Ditched the Harley Boots

Those who know me well know that I live in my motorcycle boots.  Over here there is always a chill in the air and if my feet are cold so is the rest of me.  So...I wear my boots pretty much every day.  My Harley boots are the best investment I have ever made on a pair of boots.  I can wear them every day and I can even wear them with dress clothes.  Yes...I wear my boots with dressy outfits.  You don't see many people who do this, but that doesn't bother me.  See...I am ME...and what you see is what you  get.

This week I was walking through the local Base Exchange and came across two beautiful pairs of shoes that I could not leave without.  Guess what?  I just HAD to buy them.  For those of you who don't know me well...I absolutely LOVE shoes.  I don't splurge on many things but every now and again I give in to that little voice in my head that says, "Buy these shoes....buy these shoes."  Thank goodness I don't always listen to that voice or I would be in BIG trouble.  The good news is it has been almost a year since I even bought myself a pair of shoes so I felt no guilt in my purchases.  Besides...one pair was on sale.  I saved more than I spent...at least on one pair...hehehe.
 

Today I ditched my motorcycle boots and I wore the pair pictured above.  It was warm outside so I left my Harley boots in the closet...uh...rather in the middle of my bedroom floor.  These are one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I have ever worn.  I'm hoping for some sunny days in England so I don't have to bury these babies in the closet.

These are the other pair of shoes that I bought.  These shoes are so delicate and feminine.  I prefer to be comfy...but I gave up comfort for an afternoon and showed my feminine side.  Yes....I share that side of me every now and again. 

I'm not into frivilous shopping, but I have to say that there is nothing like a great looking pair of shoes to brighten my day...LOL!! 

Kortney Versus Mom

It has been recommended to my dear Kortney by her piano instructor that she learn to play some popular wedding music so that she can start earning money by playing for weddings.  She is very excited about doing this, however, she's having a hard time picking out which music to play.  One of my personal favorites is Beautiful In My Eyes by Joshua Kadison.  I showed Kortney the video to the song as an idea for her to play and she laughed at me.  Here's the link: Beautiful In My Eyes.  She went on and on about his hair and how it looks cheesy that they are making his hair blow with a fan...LOL!!!!  Yes...I agree the video is a bit cheesy.  However, the lyrics to the song are awesome!!  Yes...sometimes (not very often) I am a hopeless romantic.  I happened to bring this song up again today and she told me that if I could get 10 people to respond that they think she should learn this song too, then she would learn it for me.  So....if you like this song and think it would be a good song for Kortney to learn to play for weddings please either click the "Like" button on the link on FB or leave a comment here on the blog.  Please friends....help me...LOL!!!!

Wrapping Up The School Year

Well...that time of year is approaching the Hollinger household; we are wrapping up our first year of homeschooling. I have to say the beginning of the year went better than the past few months. However, we made it ALL the way through the year...which I will be honest...I did not think was going to happen. Our studies consisted of the core subjects of Language Arts, Literature, Math, History/Geography, Science, and Spelling. For electives we studied German, Piano, Drums, Bowling, and Baseball. I'd like to say that how we started is how we finished. But...life happened and many changes were made to accommodate what was going on within our family at various times throughout the year.

The school materials for the kids were student-led and they finished all subjects but Math and History before my surgery a few weeks ago. They will be working on Math and History until the end of June. Somehow we fell a little behind in those two subjects. I still can't figure out how, but it doesn't really matter as this little bit of school work gives the kids something constructive to do. They have completed end of year testing...which I am anxiously awaiting the results. Even though I know in my heart they did great, the human side of me sometimes doubts my decision to homeschool this past year. Seeing their scores will be the final affirmation that I made the right decision....I hope...hehehe!!! I know that for this year homeschooling was what was needed for our family.

Many people have asked if we are going to homeschool next year. As of right now we are not going to homeschool next year. Both Kortney and Jake have enjoyed spending this year with me, but they are ready to go back to school. Kortney has friends that she met at other bases we have lived at that are now living at the base in England that we are moving to in July. Jake loves to be surrounded by people and will make new friends very quickly. I do have a feeling that once they start going back to school that they are going to miss the flexibility of homeschool. I won't be surprised if we homeschool again in the future. I'm holding on to the 8th grade materials just in case.

The Mother Daughter Legacy

Since I have not been feeling well the past few weeks I took the time to read a book I bought awhile ago entitled The Mother Daughter Legacy. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I am not the type of person that likes to read self-help or motivational books. When I get free time to read I like to read things that are fun and enticing, not things that remind me of my pile of homework sitting on my desk. Self-help and motivational books feel like homework to me...LOL!!  However....this book is amazing!!! It is a quick and easy read.  It can be read by taking each chapter and using it as a devotional or can be read all at one time in an hour or so.  In this book Carole Lewis talks about the different legacies that a mother can leave her daughter:

1. The Legacy of Nurture

2. The Legacy of Family

3. The Legacy of Example

4. The Legacy of Giving

5. The Legacy of Time

6. The Legacy of Character

7. The Legacy of Words

8. The Legacy of Faith

9. The Legacy of Laughter

10. A Legacy Under Fire

11. The Legacy of Loss

12. The Legacy of Acceptance

13. A Legacy Revealed

14. A Legacy to the Generations

Right now I am on the Chapter titled "The Legacy of Faith." This book has been a great reminder to me that how I interact with, respond to, and treat my daughter will leave an everlasting imprint on who she becomes and how she remembers her mother. In turn, those memories will mold her into the mother she will become.  I've always had the desire to try and be the best mom that I can be to my daughter. This book has brought to the forefront some areas where I was lacking that I did not realize nor want to admit that I was failing in. Anyone who has a daughter should read this book.

If you are interested in purchasing this book it can be purcahsed HERE.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I am. 

Poem I Wrote For Jake....

So....I'm not doing so well with keeping my blog updated.  I've no excuse except Facebook is easier....LOL!  Anyhoo, while looking for a paper I wrote in one of my English classes years ago, I came across a poem I wrote about/for Jake.  Thought I would share.....

Ultimate Restoration

My son you are the happiness of life.

Smiling, laughing, absorbing each day.

Overlooking its flaws and complex strife.

Ever rejoicing, and not led astray.

Trusting, you commit with all of your heart.

Never forsaking who you truly are.

Ready to conquer and wisdom impart.

Exploring, learning life’s world near and far.

But when for a second life throws a curve.

Throws you off balance and brings fear and pain.

Broadcasting failures and faults undeserved.

Leaving your spirit desolate and slain.

          Remember the one who brings forth healing.

          Mistakes forgotten, His grace revealing.

A Monkey and Gorilla Story

I was grading a bunch of school work today and totally cracked up when I read this writing assignment by Jakob.  He had to write a story about a monkey and a gorilla.  Was cute and I wanted to share.....I've copied this story verbatem.  How you see it is how he wrote it....LOL!  I added the picture to add to the charm of the story.

There once was a monkey named Sam.  He stole banana's from marketers and scrung from house to house.  His only friend was a wise old gorilla.  The gorilla was teaching Sam the way of God but Sam quit because he thought that it was stupid.  Now that sam has been away for awhile he feels lonely and scared.  He remembered to pray and said, "OH Lord, help me find my way home and help to to draw closer to you."  The next day he was traveling on a back road and found a sign that said Middle was to the left and North was to the right.  His home, up in north was a very quaint town.  North was a place for farming and markets and schools.  Middle was cities and where modern homes and industires were.  He ran all the way to North and stole a banana.  It only happened to be when the wise old gorilla was there and paid for it.  Sam not noing the the gorilla was watching him, scooped down and grabbed another.  When he reached for the third the gorilla grabbed his arm and gave him ten gold coins and said, "Go buy a house, furniture, and the rest is for food." 

Fine Arts Night

Last night was the local homeschool group "Fine Arts Night".  Both Kortney and Jakob participated. 

Kortney played a song called Kiss the Rain by Yiruma.  She did a great job.  This song brought tears to many....including myself.  Here is a link to the song:  Kiss The Rain by Yiruma.  She was also VERY excited that she got to play on a Grand Piano.

Jakob played the drums to a church song entitled, Every Knee Shall Bow Medley.  This church the event was held at had electric drums that Jake had never played on before, however he still rocked the house!!

I couldn't find an exact medley like the one Jake did but this song is really close to what he played the drums to:  Can't Stop Praising.

I'm SUPER PROUD of both my kiddos!!!!

Valentines Day....REALLY?!?



I'm not a big fan of commercialized holidays. ESPECIALLY Valentine’s Day!!! Yes....I was one of those girls who every year when Valentine’s Day rolled around....did NOT have a special Valentine. So you could say I am a little bitter….NOT!!! When Valentine’s day comes around I get a bit frustrated as I feel that all the love that is expressed on that day should be expressed EVERY DAY!!! Well...this year I'm feeling a bit sentimental. I still don't buy into the commercialism of the holiday, but I've been thinking about some of the small things that love is. I have a small list that I'd like to share:

Love IS......

*When my husband comes home from work with flowers in his hand....

*Jakob surprising me with a cup of tea….

*Kortney cooking dinner because I do not feel well....

*Hazel (my dog) licking my clothes as I walk in the door because she missed me....

*Staying up late to help a sister find a job....

*Taking the time to have lunch with a friend because there was a need....

*That gift that shows up unexpectedly in the mail because someone was thinking of you....

There are a lot more things that I could add to this list..but...I'm not feeling THAT sentimental....LOL!!! But...I would like to mention that sometimes it's better to pay attention to the small things that we often don't notice that other people do for us on a daily basis, than to the one BIG thing they may do for us on Valentine’s Day. Re-think Valentine’s Day this year!!! Do something for someone that's not commercialized; it's easy to buy flowers and cards for someone that day because they are everywhere! Think outside the box and go personal; show that you really care and pay attention to who that person really is.

Oh...and just a side note...this day is often meant to show those that we love that we were thinking about them. However, maybe this Valentine’s Day would be a great day to do something for someone that you don't really care for. Maybe....just maybe....a relationship will be repaired or a new friend will be made. You'll never know unless you try!