Queen Elizabeth II marks Accession Day

Today marks Queen Elizabeth II's 60th year in her reign.. WOW!!

Elizabeth is an inspiring woman, one who should be held up to us as girls and told.. look what she has done w/her life. Oh sure she inherited the throne but what she did w/it is pretty darn impressive.

As an American we are supposed to deny all things royal.. yeah who really does that? but it's hard not to respect a woman who has 400 plus engagements a year.. There aren't that many days in a year!! She has devoted herself to serving her country as best she can. With dignity and grace.. who doesn't think integrity when they hear her name?

Oh sure, in the Diana years we saw her flaws.. but seriously.. she was attempting to remain true to her duties, her country and yes her generation. She didn't have the luxury of running around demanding everyone feel sorry for her.. Sorry, all yes Diana had a rough life but lots of us do... we just don't get to whine about it in the international media AND we didn't get to be a Princess.. Back to the Queen.. yes she had some bad years.. but she weathered that. In the end how could her people NOT respect her?

Elizabeth has also been one of the lucky ones as she fell in love early.. and stayed in love.. She has a husband who, shoot gave up his name for her, while remaining a strong arm of support. I have read that they have shared a bed every day of their marriage.. I know tmi.. but it speaks to my romantic self..

Is she perfect? Heck no, she's human.. But there is absolutely no denying that she is a CLASS Act.. Congrats Your Royal Highness.. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!

Shauni

Shut Up and Listen to Grandma

Recently, I have heard all sorts of interesting philosophies on the economy, family, morals, ethics, hard work, etc... Some are of course way out there, sending me into peals of laughter but the ones that are considered the most amazing, the most ground breaking the most viable... are the same things I have heard my entire life.

Lessons learned at my grandma's knee...

hmmm let's see

1. pay yourself first. Now she wasn't talking 401K's or retirement they didn't have that then. No she meant take 10% of your income and put it into a savings account for a rainy day. Now I am horrible at this so I do make use of the 401K system to hold that 10%.. otherwise I would find a use for it.

2. give just a little bit more of yourself than you can afford. When it matters it will come back to you.

3. stand up for what you believe in, don't bow to peer pressure or trends.. they will move on with the winds of change only you remain the same..

4. quality of life is way better than quantity of life. Drive the same car for 10 or so years, live in the same house.. Yes it may seem to be too small but eventually it will be too big

5. keep learning, you are never too old to learn something new.. whether from a book or an education keep moving forward.

6. give back.. i know i said that earlier but it bears repeating.

7. live life like you were living (not like you were dying).. but always seek new adventures.

8. don't vote for the pretty one, vote for the one with the brains. research your candidates, find their histories.. what do they really believe in.

9. raise your children to understand that life is work. they don't get a free ride.. it is not your responsibility to put them through adulthood..

10. never say I can't... because as she would say.. You are an American and the last for letters of American spell I CAN... no kidding...

seriously, is there not a lesson in each of those statements.. have you not heard some of them formatted a bit differently but spouted by the new and "in" crowd? So all, maybe it is time to stop and listen to Grandma.. they it seems had a clue after all.

Every Now and Then

I know I have mentioned before I love sports. The concept, the action, the ideal. I love that in theory you play to win but honor the rules that it isn't all about winning but the game. Oh, I know with the onset of big business in our sports world that concept has been lost to some.

But occasionally that spirit shines through. I read this article a couple of days ago and it brought tears to my eyes. It made me proud oh so proud. With all the embarrassing behavior of the state of Illinois' leaders it made me especially proud. Our children have class..

Basically, in a cross state rivalry, there was a team from Wisconsin who had a stellar young athlete who lost his mom the day of the game. He of course wasn't on the roster but decided to show up to support his team. As a way to help stem the grief, the coach let him play. Now the rules say.. if you play someone not on the game's roster then the other team is given two technical free throws..

Here is where it gets interesting, the opposing Coach ARGUED with the officials tried his hardest to REFUSE the shots.. Finally after several minutes he conceded the free throws had to be taken those were the rules. So he looked to his players asked who was going to step up and do the job. In steps one of his seniors, a leader on the team. Proudly, walking to the Free Throw line, showing team spirit and integrity he promptly tanked the shots.. In an obvious show of good sportsmanship the ball barely left his hands. Just enough to appease the rule book. AND THE CROWD went wild!!! (did i mention the game was in Wisconsin).

I am so very proud of all of these players.. both of these teams. For remembering it is not about winning but about how you play the game.