In Training

Mood Music for Today - Grass Roots

Don't spend your life stressing, focus on the blessings and live for today 

Sounds good to me.

A thousand things going on right now

Yeah really.  Royal is coming for a visit (hopefully!) next week and while it's wonderful and exciting, it's also a bit crazy.  All the cleaning and preparing, trying to shove five days of work into two so my co-worker doesn't strangle me in my sleep for leaving her everything, and most of all worrying that the United States of America will turn my husband away just when I need him the most. 

My Grandpa has cancer and they are operating tomorrow to freeze it.  So far it hasn't spread and they are hoping to stop it.  My Dad is with them (Grandpa & Grandma) but the rest of the family couldn't go, including me.  We'd appreciate any prayers thrown our way.

If there's little to no posting for the next week or so, you know why.  Or maybe I'll just post like a maniac, who knows!

A Tale of Some Brits in an IHOP

A while back Royal was in the United States with the Royal Marines and they decided to go out to breakfast at the IHOP.  No big deal, or so they thought. 

Royal stepped up to the plate and was the one to have what I like to refer to as the 'it won't matter what I say to you because all you'll hear is the sexy British accent.  No really, I could be telling you that you just lit your hair on fire and what you'll hear is 'can I get a cuppa, love?' conversation. Or whatever it is that women imagine British people say these days! 
Now before you get to thinkin' I'm jealous or bitter, I'm not.  I've been doing this long distance long enough to know it's a fact of life.  I have a hot husband with a British accent.  But I trust him with my life, and also, he's had this happen to me sometimes, too (in Britain of course!). 

So the girl got all giggly and say-something-else-y and that was that.  The group went outside to wait until a table became available.  While they were out there the manager women brought out another young lady and started her sweeping the already pristine sidewalk.  They didn't think too much of it... until later.

From an Aussie Father

Read this.

Seriously. 

42 year old vicar to join the Royal Marines!

Freakin' awesome.

The Reverend Mark Allsop already enjoys a reputation as an action-man vicar in his rural parish on the border of Teesside and North Yorkshire. He rides a motorcycle, has completed a freefall parachute jump for charity, runs five to six miles a day and regularly visits the gym.

Now he has told his flock at St Martin's Church, Kirklevington, that God has called him to the Commandos.

He said: "I wanted to join up, but my wife had our daughter -now 16 years old - and I decided not to, but to stay at home.
....
Reverend Allsop, a clergyman for the past 11 years, will be a chaplain in the Royal Marines.

Just incredible.  I have had wonderful experiences with Royal Marine padres, and really respect what they do. I wish Rev. Allsop the best and hope he kicks the youngster's behinds in training!

Don't Pull Your Love

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds baby

Probably one of my all time favorite songs.

13,000 police assaults in Scotland

just last year.  Less than 3,000 were convicted.  The article speaks for itself, but I wanted to make one point.  Italics mine.

By our own calculations the figures indeed didn't add up, so we asked the Crown Office to offer an explanation. They declined, and instead issued a statement:
"We recognise that police officers place themselves in danger for the protection of the public and deserve the full protection of the law when assaulted.
"That is why assaults on police officers are treated very seriously indeed, as the information and statistics already provided to the BBC makes absolutely clear.
"Each report is carefully considered, and a decision on how to proceed is only ever taken after thorough analysis of all of the available evidence, and the facts and circumstances of the case."

If in fact you realize that the officers put themselves in danger every time they step out of their house, then why don't you let them defend themselves?  British police officers are not allowed to carry anything other than a baton and maybe some CS or pepper spray (unless you're special police of course, like MoD police, then you get a H & K MP5 or a Glock 17). 

Let's be proactive here people. 

The crime rate is rising like crazy.  Violent crime rose by 4% across the country.  As much as 50% for "serious assaults" in some places!  It's no secret that Scotland has an insanely high crime rate.  I feel for these officers going out on the streets with the drugs, the yobs, the drunks and having nothing but maybe a partner (possibly a very green one if you read the above article) and a stick.
 
Or as Royal likes to joke, (sarcastically) a whistle.  Sad, but true.