From the Polish Legion

The longer I live, the more I realize
the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is
more important than facts.
It is more important than the past,
than education, than money,
than circumstance,
than failure, than successes, than what
other people think or say or do.
It is more important than
appearance, giftedness, or skill.
It will make or break a company
a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a
choice everyday regarding the attitude
we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change the past,
we cannot change the fact that people
will act a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play
on the one string we have,
and that is our attitude...
I am convinced that life is 10%
what happens to me and 90% how
I react to it. And so it is with you...
we are in charge of our ATTITUDES

Charles Swindoll

being a woman

Sometimes I hate being a woman. One minute I'm all happy. The next I'm crying over some shit that I should not be crying about. Well at least the Hawks won, even though the Pistons didn't. Things will be better.

EDUCATION

I hate testing in Georgia. It puts way too much pressure on these kids. On the flip side, though, it does put some sense of personal responsibility on the students. We are, however, #25 in education around the world. Finland is #1, Korea is #2, Denmark is #3 or 4. I can't remember all of them, but we are #25!!!!! What does the rest of the world say about our education system? They say that we are not as good as them. The difference is that here, public education is a right. In other places, it is a priviledge. Kids here take EVERYTHING for granted!!! (and we let them!) The other difference is that the school systems don't seem to care about the actual kids. Here, the public school system gets money based on the number of students enrolled for that year. You place your child in public school based on your zip code. In Denmark, for example, the money is attached to the child. The parent can then choose the school that child should attend. This causes the parents to become more involved in the schools off rip. It also causes the schools to compete for the money attached to the student. The schools strive to be better. It is run as a business. I thought that this was interesting. I may have to run for Senator like my grandpa told me to and change something, cause the current system is failing our kids, and they will be taking over the world when we are old. HELP!!!!!

I love my life

I can't help it. I really love my life!!!! I am friends with so many interesting people. In high school, it was about being cool, but things have changed. It is not about being cool anymore. It is about being yourself. I have met some of the most interesting people in the world in the past 2 years. From rappers (I love you Shawty Lo :)) to people from different countries - Marcus. I have really come to enjoy and appreciate the different cultures of people and the different ways that people live. I am always open to new experiences and new ways to enjoy myself. I have learned that I really love people, all different types of people. Marcus, I really love the way you handle your business. It is impressive. Besides these 2 people, there have been so many different and interesting people along the way. If I named everyone, it would be an extremely long list. Marcus, I am dedicating this blog to you because you just treated me and my girl like queens. You really made me feel special. Thanks a lot.

I just want people to appreciate other people for who they are. There is so much more to a person than the surface. Money doesn't mean anything. In the end, there is way more to life than cash. It just doesn't matter. People and their stories and personalities are the best part of life.

To all my friends, thank you so much for being in my life. Whether a close friend, or just an aquaintaince, I appreciate all of you. You have helped to shape my life and made it extremely interesting :)

My HERO

I just want to tell everyone how lucky I am. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday, and she told me that she had 2 friends who knew their fathers. I am completely blessed to have a father like the one I have. He is amazing. Here are some of his HERO qualifications.

• He is the father of 5 chidren, all of which are smart, intelligent, and highly functioning.


• He has maintained a successful marriage for 20+ years.


• He takes care of my grandpa and my Uncle Chris.


• He works at a minimum paying lawyer job. (He could have made millions, but chose to serve as a government employee).


• He remains calm, cool and collected.


• He has an open mind and does not judge me when I make mistakes (and I've made plenty)


• Above all, he has a deep love and respect for God.

Yesterday, I was having a really hard time calming down. I was extremely frustrated with a situation I was dealing with at home. I did not know how to calm down. Sometimes, I will just call my dad's phone to hear his voice on the voicemail, but he answered this time. I was crying almost uncontrollably, cussing, and acting real irrational. He listened, told me that "this will pass, Emily." He prayed with me. After about 15-20 minutes, he had me calmed down. We started talking about future plans and other things just to get my mind off of the subject.

Then, he gave me the biggest compliment of my life. He said, "Emily, you are one of the best problem solvers that I know. You may cause some problems, but you always know how to solve them. That is what your name means: Industrious and Resourceful. If I was stuck in a dark alley, and there was anyone I would want to be stuck with, it would be you. I know you would know how to get out of the alley. You would be telling me what to do." After he told me this, I felt like I could handle anything. My dad, my hero, would want ME to take care of him!!!!

Dad, if you're ever having a bad day, please read this. Your daughter loves you and thinks the world of you. I am so proud to call you my father. I love you more than any man in the world, and trust you completely. I can't even express with words how much you mean to me, daddy. I love you completely, and I appreciate everything you do for me. I know I haven't been the easiest daughter, but you have been a wonderful, patient, loving, caring, absolutely perfect father.

Staying out of Trouble

I will keep this short and sweet, but I have come to the conclusion that I need to stay busy in order to stay out of trouble. I know some people will be like, "Duh," but now that I have it in my head, I am actually going to make a conscious effort to keep to myself. I guess my work is really the only thing that can keep me in check. Its a good thing that I feel a sense of responsibility for those kids. If you think about it, though, take a nagging wife. She gets on her husband's last nerve - why? Because she has nothing to do!!!!! Find a job, volunteer, something to get off his back. Let the man be!!! People just need a sense of purpose and something to do in order to leave everyone else alone. I know I do anyways. I'm sure there are those men who like their women up under them all the time, but I've never actually met one. I'm sorry to the people who had to deal with my boredom this week. It is not your fault. :)

first one

The inspiration behind this blog is my brother. He has patiently turned me on to the computer world. I don't know how many countless hours he has spent on the phone with me or worked on my computer in the basement while I was drinking beer upstairs. Well, Joe, your sister has a little bit of sense. I am not teaching other people what I know. This may be a cop out, though. As a teacher, I know that when you teach someone else something, it shows your mastery of the subject. Although I am not a computer master, I definitely know more than I did before. Thanks to everyone. It is kind of like working on a car. You may not always know how to do everything, but you know some basic stuff and can probably figure it out. Anyone want me to replace their engine now????!!!!! :)

The other inspiration is my cat. She is laying on top of me, jealous of the computer. I caught her looking at it. I think she's trying to figure out how to use it too :)
She is soooo cute!!!!!