I want to live among the cowboys

As many of your know, the hubby and I are very seriously considering a move to a different state. Due to ObamaCare, the hubby's job is now in very serious trouble at the company he's currently with (get ready for YOUR healthcare to get hiked in price and take a steep nosedive in quality). We also both feel that most of our family on both sides could really care less whether we are here or not. (Note, I said "most of our family," not "all.") For the most part, we are much closer to our friends than to family. And we have both lived in this state (Oregon) for all of our lives (well, hubby moved here when he was a very young child.)

Also, with sites like Facebook, it is very easy to stay in touch with people no matter where they live. Due to her Facebook and blog activity, I know more about the day-to-day life of a friend of mine in France than I do about family who live mere miles away. And the people we want to see, will come and visit us. And we can come back and visit.

So we are looking for the opportunity to start fresh somewhere new to go together "for the adventure." I am feeling led by God strongly to get out of this state. We don't know where or when yet, but it's becoming more and more a *when* we move and not an *if* we move.

So, where? We have been researching states and hubby has been watching the job opportunities. Several possibilities where there are job opportunities have been scratched from the list due to the cost of housing there. But there are still some very interesting ones out there and the search continues. Luckily, right now we don't have a definite deadline so we have the luxury of taking our time in our search and saving our money and the hubby still has his job here.

Until a few years ago, I have always wanted to move to either Central or Eastern Oregon. I LOVE the high desert climate. Every time we've taken a trip over to Central Oregon, as soon as we drop down off the pass into Sisters, my whole body just feels "at home." And I continue to feel that way until we leave. My dad says it's the same for him.

But, let's face it. Central and Eastern Oregon are still OREGON. And Oregon is being destroyed by the Liberals in Portland. The path the state is on fiscally, like much of the nation, is simply unsustainable. The numbers do NOT add up, no matter how they move them around. Without serious cuts to entitlements, extreme audits (and follow up enforcements) of the welfare programs, cutting off aid to illegal immigrants and, probably, most importantly, getting RID of public employee unions, the state cannot be saved.

Oregon used to be a great state to live in. Not any more.

But if ever the day comes that Central and Eastern Oregon (or even just Eastern Oregon) succeeds from Oregon to form a new state, we are there! Count us in as founding citizens.

But, back to where to move to. Currently we are looking at NE Washington/NW Idaho (with a preference to live in Idaho), Southern Idaho, North Dakota, Alaska (although Juneau has been ruled out), Montana, Wyoming (no jobs at all there for hubby right now), Utah, and Indiana.

But with so many choices, what I am looking for in a state really comes down to a few things. I want four seasons (not Summer and Rain nor HOT all the time) and I want to live in a small town (not sure what "small" means to me yet as my business does require a good internet connection) where the people love God, their Country and their neighbors. I want to live in a COMMUNITY, not just a town.

I'm able to put it into a clear, concise definition: I want to live among the cowboys.

Now, when I told the hubby this, he immediately said to me, "no, you can't have a cowboy."

Sigh... I don't WANT a cowboy (I'm happily married, thank you very much.). I want to live where the cowboys live.

Why?

Because cowboys....

• Love God
• Love their Country
• Love their family
• Love their neighbors
• Believe in property rights
• Believe in gun rights
• Know how to provide for themselves and their community
• Respect the environment (I've NEVER seen a cowboy litter but I sure have seen a lot of urban-dwelling, liberal-voting slackers litter. In fact, we pick up litter out of our front yard every week that is dropped by high school students as they walk to and from the school we live nearby. My Dad would have KILLED me if he had ever caught me littering. My Dad. Who hunts and votes conservative.)
• Vote conservative

Sounds good to me!

~kate

Ten

1 decade. 10 years. 120 months. 520 weeks. 3650 days.

Far, far away

I hate Mother's Day.

There, I've said it.

I HATE it.  And no, it's not because I haven't been able to become a mother either through childbirth or adoption.  It is because my mother hates me.

I'm not being dramatic.  She really does.  She proved it last year with a package she sent me right before my birthday.

I love my mom.
I miss her.  Every day.
I think about her.  Every day.
I pray for her.  Almost every day.

I hope she is safe.
I hope she is healthy.
I hope she is warm when it is cold outside and she is able to stay cool during the heat of summer.
I hope she is not lonely.
I hope she is happy.

I used to hope she would one day be part of my life but over the past year I have had to give up on that hope.  I have a lot of "hopes" in my life but that one is dead.

The hope is gone but the ache and pain remain.  An every day reminder of what will never be.

My heart hurts every single day when I think about my mom and I so wish I could put her out of my mind but the thoughts persist.  Every day.

Over the past six years, certain members of my family relatives of mine have shown a complete lack of character and disregard for me.  Over and over again.  And over the past year, the actions of a few of them have shown me their TRUE character and I am pretty disgusted with what I saw.

I want nothing to do with them.  Nothing.

I feel God telling me that it is time to move away.  Away from the people who don't care about me.  Away from the rumors.  Away from the gossip.  Away from the threats.

So the husband and I have been talking about moving out of state.  I've lived in Oregon my entire life but except for my father and step mother, I really feel there is nothing here for me any longer.

I know that moving away will not cure the pain.  It will not repair the relationship with my mother.  It will not change the relationship I have with any of my relatives.  But for some reason, I feel that it may hurt just a little less if I know that I am at least a day's drive if not an airplane trip away from them instead of the 45 minute-2 hour drive that I am from most of them now.  I certainly wouldn't see them any less than I do now.

So I want to fly.  Far, far away.  With my husband, and my dogs, and my cats.  Just us.  No rumors.  No gossip.  No snide comments.  No threats.  Just us.  Gone.  Far, far away.

Of course there is a whole other side to this and that is my husband's family, most of whom are wonderful.  We would miss them dearly so that is indeed a complication and is something my husband will have to be alright with before we go anywhere.

But for now I can dream of a place, far, far away.  And maybe, just maybe, Mother's Day won't hurt so bad.

~kate

An interesting observation

Recently I've observed something interesting and it has been bopping around the blog section of my brain as something that might make a good blog post.

Unfortunately, I don't really have a long, detailed discussion of it that could turn into a great essay-like blog post. But rather it is just a concise observation with a few related thoughts thrown in.

I do not have any children so therefore I get to sit back and observe others who do. AND I get to judge them and their parenting skills. After all, they are raising the future adults that will possibly share my community or otherwise influence my life and/or future. So even though we are told repeatedly not to judge people, I choose to go against the grain and I do place judgment upon parents.

Thanks to Facebook, I now get tiny little glimpses into the lives of those who dare to be on my friends list. With their status updates and comments to others, I now get a near constant newsreel of the goings on of people whom before Facebook I would have no clue about.

So, getting back to what I originally started this post about... recently I've noticed something....

There is a direct correlation among parents, particularly mothers, of those who complain about their kids and those who do not and their religious practices and political leanings.

Overwhelmingly, those who complain about their kids and question whether they should have even had children, do not appear to have much of a relationship with Christ and are decidedly liberal in their political views. On the flip side, of my friends who identify as conservative and belong (and regularly attend!) a church, I never see them complain about their kids or their job as a parent.

The conservatives praise and support their kids, almost to the point of gushing. But the general feeling I get from them is that they enjoy parenting, get much satisfaction from it, and overall feel blessed to have their children in their lives.

The liberals on the other hand, complain so much about their kids that I am often left with the thought "why did they even have kids if they are so awful?" Some of them even post that if they had to do it over again, they either would not have had kids or would have had fewer.

Good grief. They post that on the internet! And it's not just a single post after a particularly bad day. We all have those. No, this is a regular theme with them. I see very little praise of their kids but much bitching and complaining.

Hmmmmm since anything you put on the Internet is pretty much permanent, I can only hope that their kids don't someday come across these posts from their mother. Can you imagine the emotional damage that could do?

For myself, I have felt my entire life that my mother never approved of me and nothing that I did was ever good enough. That alone has caused me a lot of heartache over the years. But I never for a moment ever doubted that she wanted me or felt that she regretted having me. Good Lord, the complete emotional cripple I would surely be had I ever some across something she had written whereby she complained frequently about me and being my mother.

Now none of this is meant as a blanket statement. I can think of several people right now who do not fit into this mold... but I can also think of quite a few who fit right into this....

So I leave you with this.... If you have kids, ENJOY them and support them. Their little egos are fragile and you are helping to develop the person they will be more than you think. And if you don't have kids but think you may in the future, PLEASE give it some thought first and be sure that you will be a supportive, nurturing parent and not one who acts like they resent their kids' existence. Those of us who cannot have children are relying on you to produce emotionally healthy people that we may someday share a community with.

~kate


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Reading the Presidents

So I'm a big reader.  And I've switched to only Kindle books.  I always read 4 or 5 books at the same time so switching to the e-book format is so much better for me as now everywhere I go, I already have all my books with me.

I love memoirs but also have some fiction writers who are favorites of mine.  So I'm usually reading one memoir, one non-fiction and two or three fiction books at the same time.

One of the books I am reading right now is Decision Points by George W. Bush.  I'm taking my time reading it as I am absorbing it.  It is an absolutely FABULOUS book.  I recommend for everyone to read it, no matter what your political views are.  I guarantee that the chapter about 9/11 where he takes you through it from his perspective is something I will re-read at least once a year.

Since reading this book, I've decided to make it a personal goal of mine to read a book either by or about every one of our presidents.  Yes, even the current one...  I don't plan to do it in any particular order but will probably do it in a close chronological order.

I've recently started on Washington with The Life of George Washington by John Marshall.  The $.89 Kindle price is awesome!

So do any of you want to join me in this path?  I would love to have some people to come along with me to discuss the books with....

~kate