Kim's Occasional Blog

Cap and Trade

2009-06-26T12:22:00.003-05:00

Congress is voting on this today, folks. Let your voice be heard.

Forms of Government

2009-02-12T13:29:00.004-06:00

Every American (including children) should watch this video. Very educational.

Comic Relief

2008-11-06T16:40:00.002-06:00

I would guess that I'm not the only one who could use some comic relief. Check out this video from The Onion. I found it quite funny. Enjoy!

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

A Christian Response

2008-11-05T13:17:00.013-06:00

Below is a link to Albert Mohler's blog entry for today. This really should be our response as Christians, but I must admit I am finding it a bit difficult -- especially the part about accepting the legitimacy of Obama's election and giving him the respect deserved by the office he will hold (even if the man himself does not deserve my respect). I know it is the right thing to do, though, so I will make every effort. In addition, I will pray. I will first pray for peace in my own heart, that God would remove the bitterness, frustration and fear that I am currently feeling. I will also pray for Obama and his administration, as well as our Congress. I will pray for our Supreme Court justices. And I will pray for God's mercy and protection of our country under Obama's leadership.

Albert Mohler: America Has Chosen a President

The one thing we can hold onto is that God is still God. He is still in control, and we can trust fully in Him.

This passage from Isaiah seems appropriate at this time. I think I will need to memorize this one and recall it often.

This is what the LORD says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:
"Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.
The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread.
-- Isaiah 8:11-13

I am also reminded of this Rich Mullins song, While the Nations Rage.

PRAY AND VOTE!

2008-11-03T10:14:00.003-06:00

Well, tomorrow's the big day. It's imperative that we vote and also that we pray for our nation and this election.

Vote Your Values on Nov. 4

2008-10-27T13:01:00.000-05:00

David Hall for TN State Senate

2008-10-24T14:14:00.007-05:00

I am sooooo happy to have the opportunity to vote for a pro-life conservative for the TN State Senate representing District 20. I believe David Hall will better represent me in the TN Senate and will uphold my values -- unlike his opponent, the incumbent Joe Haynes, who is a career politician, a tax and spend liberal and an abortion advocate. If you live in District 20, I hope you will consider voting for David Hall.

A [Scary] Glimpse of the Future

2008-10-23T12:23:00.003-05:00

While this video is meant to be somewhat funny, it's not far (at all) from what will likely come to pass if Fauxbama becomes president. (I won't say 'elected' because a person who wins by voter fraud and illegal campaign donations is not technically 'elected'.) So, while it may elicit a chuckle or two, take this as a serious warning.

Keep praying folks -- and be sure to VOTE FOR MCCAIN-PALIN on November 4!

Humorous McCain Speech

2008-10-17T09:11:00.002-05:00

As most of you know, I am very politically minded. The upcoming presidential election has me a little stressed out. I am dumbfounded by the cult-like following of a man who has extensive ties to anti-American terrorists, socialists, Marxist and communists and has openly expressed (in his books) that he shares similar views to these friends/associates. As disheartening as it is to see so many people fall into a cult-like trance in their support for the unqualified 0bama (a.k.a. 'Fauxbama'), I am still confident (and praying mighty hard) that most Americans (despite being labeled as racist) will see fit to vote for McCain-Palin, our only hope of preserving the republic.

Anyway, I got a good laugh this morning from the following video of McCain's speech at the Alfred Smith Memorial Dinner. Laughter truly is good medicine for relieving stress, so I thought I would share:

Thankful!

2008-10-17T09:00:00.006-05:00

I'm way behind on blogging, but I just wanted to express how thankful we are that our family and friends in the Houston-Galveston area fared well through Hurricane Ike. Extended power outages and minor damage to homes and yards were the extent of what they experienced, although many were very near to areas that were nearly completely destroyed. Thank you to all who prayed for their safety and protection.

Seven years ago...

2008-09-11T08:20:00.003-05:00

I'm recycling a graphic I created and posted a couple of years ago on this day. I think it's important to remember what happened on September 11, 2001, when our country was attacked by radical Islamic terrorists. We have managed to keep these terrorists at bay since then, but we must remain vigilent. In this election year, it is important to make national security a priority in your voting decision. We cannot afford to have an appeaser in the White House. On this day, I urge you to remember 9-11, the victims and the heros, and pray for God's protection and mercy on our country.

Who Knew?

2008-07-29T22:03:00.007-05:00

I had seen Jon Voight in some movies and on TV over the years, but never really knew much about the man. Wrongly, I lumped him in with most of the rest of Hollywood and assumed he was yet another out of touch liberal. Well, yesterday Mr. Voight not only proved that I was wrong in my assumptions, he gained a new level of respect from me.

If you haven't already, be sure to read his Op Ed piece in the Washington Times. In it, he expresses his fears about an Obama presidency and the inevitable ensuing Socialist policies. I must say, I admire him for taking a bold stand that is sure reap disdain from his Hollywood cohorts. Go Jon!

A Recent Glenn McCoy Cartoon

2008-07-28T09:14:00.006-05:00

No comment necessary...

It's Been Awhile...

2008-07-24T16:48:00.007-05:00

Wow! I haven't blogged since last October! That's pretty lame!

I knew it would be a challenge to keep up with this. I'm not going to vow to do better, though, because invariably I will fail...

I think part of the problem is that the topics I'd like to blog about would simply take too much time. For example, the election is a topic that's heavy on my mind. There are a million and one things I would like to get off my chest with regard to the upcoming election -- the prolonged campaign cycle, the horrible choice of candidates, the mindless media coverage, etc., etc. Just thinking about it makes me tired because I know if I started typing out my thoughts, my fingers would cramp up and fall off long before I was anywhere near done. So, I guess for now, I will keep all that to myself. (Of course as we draw nearer to the general election, I may not be able to contain myself.)

I could also blog about gas prices, global warming (or the lack thereof), the pharmaceutical industry, nutrition/health or many other things about which I have strong opinions. Or better yet, I could share photos and anecdotes about things we are doing to share with our far flung friends and family members (that's really what I SHOULD be doing... and maybe I will...) So there are many things I could blog about, I just haven't... for a very long time. Maybe I will be inspired and will manage to find few spare moments to dedicate to blogging on a more regular basis. We shall see...

Hmmm... I've managed to write an entire blog post about not blogging. How about that?!

P.S. I also updated our photo and added a link to Chris' new blog. So, I guess this has been a fairly productive Blogger session after all.

And the winner is... not us!

2007-10-17T16:34:00.001-05:00

Every time I hear something on the news like what I heard the other day -- "Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize!" -- I fear for the future of our country (and the world), and I pray for today's children who will have to live through the fallout of such nonsense. If Al Gore, a complete moron who has never been anything more than a useless politician can capture the attention and accolades of world leaders and policy makers based on junk science... well, let's just say, it makes for a very grim outlook. We have Hitlery on her way to the presidency and Al Gore convincing everyone on the planet that we are facing catastrophic global warming -- oh, but we can stop it if wreck the U.S. economy and give all of our money to the U.N. Ughhh... What's the world coming to??

Determined to Blog

2007-04-10T23:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I've promised a few people that I would get back to blogging, and I have every intention of doing so, BUT not just yet... I'm hoping that in the next couple of months I'll find some free time to take some photos and do some things worth blogging about. We'll see...

The Laggard Blogger

2006-12-16T16:48:00.000-06:00

The laggard blogger -- that's me! I thought blogging would be a great way to keep family and friends up to date, but it hasn't worked out that way. I still haven't blogged on our last trip to the mountains or our visit with family and friends in Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday, and who knows when I'll get around to it. (I haven't even pulled the Thanksgiving photos off the camera yet!) Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) it's my not-so-part-time part-time job that has taken over my life. My freelance design business has had to take a back seat -- I haven't taken on a new client in well over a year! And the side projects I was hoping to get started on (eatyourgarlic.com, secretsantastuff.com and tennesscenery.com) have fallen completely by the wayside. It seems all I do is work. Story of my life... It's got to change before I don't have any more life left!

Case in point, here I am on a beautiful Saturday working on a project that should have been done over a week ago. I'm really struggling with it, and it's taking a lot longer than anticipated. And the longer it takes, the more stressed out I get -- which makes it even harder to get anything accomplished! I should be Christmas shopping or getting ready to go to the Christmas pageant at my church, but instead I must work... :-(

And this time of year, it's extra difficult because everybody needs something before the end of the year. And despite the fact that it's Christmas time, the work stuff has to take precedence over any personal stuff, but yet somehow, some way the personal stuff (the Christmas shopping, the travel plans, etc, etc.) must be done too. I'm not even sending Christmas cards this year (sorry everyone!) -- there's just no time. I know many will think I'm a grinch, but I really do hate Christmas time -- mainly because there's so much stress and so much "crap" that gets in the way of what we're supposed to be celebrating -- Jesus' birth.

Anyway, I guess I just needed to vent... now, it's back to work...

The Beauty of Autumn

2006-10-23T17:55:00.000-05:00

While we have not yet had the opportunity to go hiking in the mountains this fall, we did take advantage of the absolutely gorgeous day we had this past Saturday to spend some time outside. We did some much needed yard work and enjoyed the beauty of the autumn colors against the blue sky. I couldn't resist taking a few photos. I have included a couple of my favorites here.

Canoe Trip

2006-10-13T15:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm finally getting around to blogging about our canoe trip last weekend. The day started off rather chilly, but turned out to be beautiful! We did have one minor mishap when Chris and I (newbies at canoeing) had some difficulty maneuvering through a small channel through some large fallen trees. The TVA was generating at the time (meaning water was being released at the Center Hill Dam just upstream from us), so the water was rising quickly and moving very fast. The front of our canoe struck one of the trees, and the rushing water whipped the back end around and turned us over before we had a chance to even think of what we should do next. The water was cold, but not freezing, and it had not yet risen to a depth that was over our heads. We managed to secure all of our belongings, and with the help of our friends, we were quickly back in our canoe and continuing on our way down the river. We were wet and cold for awhile, but we had a good laugh over it. All in all, the canoe trip was great fun!

The photo above is of Brian, a seasoned canoeist and fisherman. I found his red canoe to be very photogenic. I think you'll recognize the people in the other two photos. You'll note that one is not on the water. We stopped to check out a cave along the river.

Canoeing

2006-10-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

We've been invited by our friend Bob to go canoeing on the Caney Fork River. It's a beautiful river that winds its way through the Cumberland Plateau (see the Wiki). We're looking forward to it!

I don't have a canoeing photo (yet!), so this stock photo will have to suffice for now.

Latest Contraption

2006-10-02T23:34:00.000-05:00

People who know us well know that we love food (good, healthy food, that is), and we own LOTS of kitchen gadgets and appliances. We just added a new one to our collection -- a food dehydrator. Dehydrating is one of the best ways to preserve food for long term storage because it retains most of the nutrients and does not introduce chemical preservatives.

Our primary purpose for getting a dehydrator is that we grow a variety of herbs, and we wanted to be able to dry what we couldn't use fresh during the season. For example, we have tons of basil this year. I have made quite a lot of pesto and frozen it, but now I am also able to dry some basil for use during the winter as well. Basil does not like cold weather, so I will need to harvest as much as I can and dry it before the first frost. We also have sage, oregano, parsley, marjoram, rosemary, garlic and cayenne peppers that we hope to dry before winter. We are also excited about the many other uses we will have for our new dehydrator. We will be able to make our own beef jerky from grass fed beef and dry organic fruit.

Hiking Season

2006-09-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Autumn is approaching quickly with its crisp dry air, deep blue skies and beautifully colored leaves. We love this time of year! It makes us want to go hiking! Of course, the challenge for us is to find the time to do so...

Until we do, we can at least enjoy our memories and photos from past trips. Here's one of Chris taken on our last hiking weekend back in June.

Too Busy to Blog

2006-09-18T22:56:00.000-05:00

I've been too busy to blog this past week. Sadly, this will probably be the case for me much of the time.

I did take a few minutes tonight to post a temporary page for a new site I am developing called Tennesscenery. I am excited about this site because it's something Chris and I have wanted to do for a very long time. Hopefully, we'll be able to find time to work on it. We are also working on a couple of healthy living/nutrition sites (something else we're very passionate about).

Never forget...

2006-09-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

Labor Day Weekend Trip

2006-09-11T09:50:00.000-05:00

It seems I've already fallen behind on my blogging...

Over Labor Day weekend, we traveled to northern Kentucky to visit family and friends. As always, it was good to see everyone. We don't get up there often enough.

Below are a couple of photos from the weekend. The first one is of me and my college roommate, Beth. She and her husband, Sam, are two of our very best friends. The second one is of me with our two beautiful nieces. They're growing up too fast!

Visiting Pets

2006-08-31T16:38:00.000-05:00

When people find out we do not have children, their next question is almost always, "Do you have pets?" This always seems strange to me. It's as if they believe that having an animal in one's home would be a natural replacement for a child.

Well, regardless of the rationale behind the question, the answer is, "No, we do not have pets." That is, we don't have pets that we own or that are constrained to our home or our property. We actually do have many animals that visit with us on a regular basis, though, and we enjoy them. At any given time you might find any of the following in our backyard: deer, turkeys, squirrels, foxes, ground hogs, rabbits, lizards, skinks, snakes, toads, tree frogs, turtles or a wide variety of birds.

We like to watch them all. We also like to take photos of them. Here are a few shots of some of our "visiting pets".

Our Favorite Things

2006-08-30T09:56:00.001-05:00

Anyone who knows us knows that we are not really motivated by material possessions or prestige. We live modestly and enjoy simple things. Our greatest love is the outdoors. The intricacy and profound beauty of God's creation never ceases to amaze me!

We love mountains and trees and rocks and things, and we are avid hikers -- which is one of the primary reasons why we live in the beautiful state of Tennessee! Below are a couple of photos that were taken on our most recent visit to Tellico Plains, TN. We drove across the Cherohala Skyway and did some hiking along the way.

Off and Blogging!

2006-08-30T00:31:00.000-05:00

Well, here we go -- off into the the wild world of blogging!

This is really just a test post, but we will soon be sharing our latest adventures, photos, rants, unsolicited opinions, etc.