I love me some America. So should you.

My parents and I took a trip to Nashville, TN 2 weeks ago to go to the Grand Ole Opry. Included on the list of performers were: Martina McBride, Trace Adkins, Wynona (Judd) and Lee Greenwood. The concert was pretty amazing...and a little wierd at the same time. The Grand Ole Opry is shown on GAC (a country music tv channel) and is also broadcast on the radio. Every 2-3 minutes during the first half of the show (before the big stars perform) the MC has to read an adverstisement. Very repetitive and slightly annoying, but somehow it adds to the charm of the show.



Back to the performers: While all of the performers were incredible(!!!) I had the most goose bumps with Lee Greenwood's performance. Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the USA" and received a standing ovation from the minute he started his song to the moment it ended. Almost everyone sang the words with him and you couldnt help but feel the amazing amount of patriotism in that room.



In a time where the US is polarized between those who call themsevles Reblicans and those that call themselves Democrats, those that support the war and those that don't, those who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice, etc etc., I think that it is very easy to forget just how lucky we are to be American citizens. We live in a country where we can go to church on Sunday and not worry about being persecuted for our beleifs. A country where we can go to a pizza joint and not worry about a suicide bomber entering the restaurant. A country where we can speak out against our government to make our opinions known. A country where we can VOTE for our political leaders. Yes, there are many things in the US that should change, but overall this is a pretty amazing country to belong to.



In his song, Lee Greenwood states: "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me"



In times when you might be angry at America for its politics, its failures, and its wrong decisions you can NEVER forget the men and women that are serving and have served this country to keep it free. Military members are self-less, they serve and risk their lives so that we can be free and so that we can speak our minds, even if we are speaking out against the war that they are fighting.

So, thank you to every service member in the US military (and their families). Without your bravery and selflessness we wouldn't be living in the land of the free.

If you act classy, does that make you classy?

I am staying with my parents in Huntsville, AL for about a month this summer while Jonathan is "working" in Las Vegas. My dad keeps pretty busy with his job; usually he is out of town during the week but luckily there is a conference in Huntsville this week so he has been in town. Part of my dads job is schmoozing and small talk...and when I visit the parents I get to partake in this "socializing" as I attend events with them. Last night, my parents hosted a dinner party for some of the foreigners that were in town for the conference. My parents have an AMAZING chef (provided by my dads job...and NO my parents aren't rich) who made a very yummy dinner for us. Countries represented at our dinner table included: Israel, France, Germany and the Netherlands (not to mention America ;) ). Usually these dinner parties are pretty stuffy, and I have to act classy (NOT klassy). I sat up straight, folded my hands on my lap and made sure not to spill my milk (I am only 16 years old you know--please see previous blog).

Turns out, these Europeans are pretty cool. Some conversations began to focus on space ships and rocket science (Boring! no offense to all you rocket scientists out there); but the better conversations were about the similarities between men and women cross-culturally. The husbands at the table continually rolled their eyes as the women discussed shopping, not spending enough time with their hubbies and the fact that husbands should cook more often. I was able to sip on my wine and laugh the whole night.

At the end of the night, when the dinner party was over and we were cleaning up I began to ponder my own classy-ness. If I act classy, dress classy and hang around classy people, does that make me classy OR am I like a Prado purse: a cheap knock-off?

Nothing says luxury like a 1997 Toyota Camry.

Last Sunday my mom and I drove from Worcester, Massachusetts to Huntsville, Alabama (insert the sounds of banjo's and shot guns here). Yes, I said DROVE. We spent 18 hours on the road in my parents luxury 1997 Toyota Camry. This car is fully loaded with POWER windows AND the original tape deck (you better believe that we were jamming to all of the NKOTB classics). I say luxury because our other option of vehicle was my dad's "baby" The 1993 Corolla that just keeps on going. The Corolla may have been an okay car in its heyday (back in 1993)--it comes complete with crank windows, tan cloth seats AND a tape deck--but now-a-days I have to say that its kind of a piece. My dad does take GREAT care of the corolla...in fact he was a little nervous when gas prices began to sore because it was obvious to him that our 1993 Corolla would be a high theft target due to its great gas mileage. Somehow, no one has gotten their greedy hands on the Corolla...we still keep the alarm on at night though (o0h wait, no alarm system). Needless to say, when driving in the Corolla you can feel every pebble and every crevice on the road.


But I digress...I have many stories about K Campbell (my dad) which some of you have been privileged enough to hear on road trips to Brugge, that I will save for a later date.


My mom and I are pretty good at the road trip thing. She likes to wake up at the crack of dawn (4 AM!!) to hit the road. I drag myself into the car and quickly fall back asleep...happy to awaken 4-5 hours later a couple of hundred miles into the trip. I take the afternoon shift--with the help of Starbucks. We make a pretty good team, and we have fun on our trips. I am pretty lucky to have such a great mom.

10 years younger...

I know that someday I will appreciate it...but today is not someday. Since arriving in Worcester, Massachusetts (my parents home town) I have been called "a beautiful little girl", asked if I was "16 years old" and was asked if I attended Wachusett High School and if so what I thought of their new newspaper. I HATED being 16, haven't been called little girl since I was about 10 years old and am pretty sure that I graduated high school over 8 years ago.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know that someday people thinking that I look 10 years younger than my actual age will be a HUGE compliment. But today, I take offense to it.

My mom and I walked into a medical office to discuss care options for my grandma--while in the waiting room one of the office workers looked at my mom and I and said to my mom: "What a beautiful little girl you have". At this point, my mouth dropped open and I stared at the women with a vengeance. Just that morning I had registered for classes to complete a post-professional degree. This comes 4 years after graduating college. My mom quickly told the women that I was 26 years old, married and living in England...at this point the women felt like a complete, well, a#$. Insert foot in mouth here.

I don't know what these Worcester-ites are thinking. I am afraid that I am going to get pulled over for driving under age or something.

This blog sounds pointless...but I have hated looking young for my whole life. I thought that I was beginning to appreciate this quality of mine, but my last few days in Worcester have definitely made it clear that I still resent my youthful appearance. Someday I will look back at this blog and hate myself for complaining about such a stupid thing. But today it seems important.

So I guess 26 is the new 16. As long as I don't have to move back home and go to High School again I think I might be able to get used to this. Maybe.