a little kindness please (bee careful!)

You probably read about that huge accident yesterday involving a bee truck. 2 women lost their lives. One was a 24 year old Bethel employee who was expecting her first child. Though they haven't released all the details of the accident, it seems clear that the 2 women (in different cars) were hit from behind by another truck and were crushed. A moment of inattention has changed 3 lives forever.

This was on my mind all day as I drove around town. The truth is, people on the roads are crazy. I am guilty of being one of them from time to time, I admit. I nearly got sideswiped by a guy this morning who changed lanes in front of me with no blinker--I had to hit the brakes to keep from being hit. Of course he had his Bluetooth shoved into his ear so he probably didn't think to see if anyone was next to him before moving over.

I too can be a crazy person on the road. I've had many moments I'm not proud of but of course I usually feel like I had a good reason for doing whatever I did. But I still am embarrassed by my behavior later. Is it the anonimity of the road that makes it easy for us to drive crazy?

Bottom line--pay attention out there. Most people don't seem to have a clue how their driving behavior affects the people around them. If we would all keep in mind the fact that we need to be aware of our situation at all times, this world would have less accidents. I have been hit 3 times in the past 5 years, all by drivers just not paying attention. That is 3 times too many.

And for the love, GET OFF YOUR PHONE!!!!!!

Anabela's Story

Jimbo is home, safe and sound!

Watch this video of one woman's story of how AfricaWorks has changed her life!

odds and ends

What happened to spring? Is weather confusion a sign of climate change?

Not much happening in the Olson house these days. Here are a few highlights:

-Olivia tried to eat a dog biscuit intended for our friends dog. Thankfully Andrew stepped in and kept that item off the list of gross things she has eaten.

-I overslept yesterday but that is not what is interesting about this story. Usually I am on the road to preschool around 8:30 but yesterday we got a later start. Turns out there was a police shooting around 8:30 at the on ramp to the highway---right where I would usually be if I hadn't overslept! Some guy robbed something, carjacked a lady and then stabbed a lady and then got killed by the police right here in my lovely town. Crazy! Not that anything would've happened to us but I definitely wouldn't have wanted my kids to see it go down. I did see the body covered with a sheet on my way back home but didn't bother mentioning this to the kids.

-Olivia and I have really hit our stride as mom and daughter. It started with a mani/pedi while the boys were at a baseball game. Anyone that talks to me regularly knows that Olivia is a delightful yet challenging child. I think I might have figured her out, at least for now. She just wants more one-on-one attention than I was giving her and she doesn't respond to me raising my voice. Now I challenge her to do stuff like, "Bet you can't get those shoes on all by yourself" and then give her tons of praise and high-fives (which she ADORES for some reason). I haven't had to yell at her at all for the last two weeks. I'm happier and I think she is too.

-I got new sneakers and they feel like heaven!

-I conducted a brief experiment with gel nails. Too fancy for me so I got them off after about a month. I am amazed at how wrecked my natural nails are after such a short time! Hopefully they grow back to what they were like before--I used to have to use toenail clippers because they were so thick. Not so right now.

-I am planning to hike the Grand Canyon again in September! Two years ago I hiked it and it darn near beat me so last year I performed the role of hiker wrangler, which was a ton of fun. But this year I've decided to try the hike again; however, I intend to actually prepare for it this time. Maybe by training I will actually be able to walk the day after--anyone care to place a bet? :)

i feel like i got away with something

On my way home from dropping Ethan off at preschool, my gas light came on. I noted that the price at the station by my house was $2.84 per gallon and decided to just stop on my way back out later.

90 minutes later, I drive to the gas station and was devastated to see the price has jumped to $2.95! In 90 minutes!!! I cursed myself for being lazy but needed gas.

When I pulled up to the pump though, the price was still listed as $2.84. I hustled to get that tank filled up before they figured out their mistake and charged me more.

All that hurry was for nothing though--I asked inside and the clerk said they change the big sign first and 20 minutes later they change the pump sign.

When this happened, I really felt cool. But now it just sounds lame. :)

one little word makes all the difference

Have you noticed that whenever the media reports on "immigration", they always leave the word "illegal" out? It has been driving Jay and I crazy. I have no problem with immigration--I do have a problem with illegal immigration, and I have no shame in admitting that. We have channels for legal immigration and if a person chooses to instead cross the border illegally, they have to deal with the consequences of that. But usually you hear illegal immigration lumped in with legal immigration and frankly, that isn't fair to the folks that decided to follow the rules when entering this country.

When you are here illegally, chances are you aren't paying taxes, carrying health insurance or driving with a valid license. How is that fair? Why should we rally for these people? I get that they leave their home country for good reasons but how does that make it okay for them to be here illegally? I was watching footage of one of the rallies that took place yesterday and the one sign said "Stop tearing families apart". I just hate that--the ploy of making you feel like a terrible person for just expecting that immigrants are held to the same standards you are.

We are not the only country that doesn't allow people to just flow in and out of the country. This is why there are passports, work visas, travel visas, etc. But for some reason we are expected to just allow people to flout our laws and then make us look like we are the ones doing something wrong. And unfortunately, it seems like we are starting to believe it.