a few of the latest...sorta.

It's me again. Hank the cowdo....oh wait. Wrong name. Let's try this again.

It's me again. Rebekah the girl with the camera (who takes way too many pictures). 

Here are a few of the latest.

Oh. And the first three are kinda late....they are from Mother's Day. But I didn't get them from my cousin's camera until a little while after the fact, and then I kinda forgot about them. But better late than never...right?

   

P.S. With the help of my beautiful and techy cousin, I have changed my blog address. It is no longer "strong-happy-adventurous.blogspot.com". It is now "rebekahleona.blogspot.com". 

Five Minute Friday: Imagine

She sat at the table yesterday and told me she can't wait to grow up. I looked into her innocent, 3 year-old face and told her not to wish her life away.

How well I remember wishing the exact same things just a few years ago. I felt the same way that she does, that once I was grown up, life would be easy, and I could do whatever I wanted to.

If only I knew.

I never imagined that my life would turn out to be what it is. I never imagined that growing up wouldn't be nearly as much fun as I thought it would.

If you would have asked me 6 months ago where I thought I would be today, I most certainly wouldn't have told you here.
If you would have asked me two years ago what I was going to study in college, I wouldn't have told you Exercise Science.
If you would have asked me 10 years ago if there were any benefits to being young, I probably would have laughed in your face.

When you are young, you sit around and imagine what life will be like when you are old enough to make your own decisions. (At least I did.)
You imagine that it will be pothole free.
Roadblock free.
Landslide free.
Practically perfect in every way.

You never imagine that potholes, roadblocks and landslides will be a daily part of live. But they are.

So please, little ones, don't wish your life away. Don't imagine your life away. Just enjoy being young.

rainbows

(The words below were written for the first blog post I ever did. The pictures were taken just a few days ago.) 

I read something the other day that made me stop and think. "Rainbows are made out of sun and rain." (Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot) In my opinion, rainbows are the most beautiful thing in the world. Since I was little, they have enthralled me. But I have never stopped to think about the fact that they wouldn't be there unless there was rain.

I have experienced some rain in my life. Rain comes in so many different forms. To some people, my rain may seem like a light drizzle. But the truth of the matter is, when you are in the storm, to you it feels like a tornado no matter what.  There have been so many times that I have wished the rain would just pass me by. That the sunshine would just come to stay. But if there was no rain, how would there be a rainbow?

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.

27,000 words

On Memorial Day, my cousin Gretchen and her husband Merritt (who were also celebrating 7 years of marriage that day) had a passel of folks over for a BBQ. And despite the iffy weather, it was a good day full of ice cream, hamburgers, talking, laughing, and of course, lots of pictures. 

So without further ado, here they are. (Oh, and because I don't feel like going through and telling you what is happening in each of the pictures, I am going to let you use your brain/imagination to figure it out.) 

The End. 

the cost of freedom is buried in the ground

Today is Memorial Day. A day that most people think means BBQs and big get togethers and the beginning of summer.

But that is not the meaning of this day.

Memorial Day is a day to remember our fallen heroes. A day to remember that dad who will never see his little girl get married. A day to remember that cousin who will never get to meet the newest member of the family. A day to remember that wife who will never get to kiss her husband again. A day to remember that sister who will never get to tease her brother again. A day to remember that mom who will never get to hug her son again.

All gave some and some gave all
And some stood through for the red, white and blue
And some had to fall
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
Some gave all

I hate to admit it, but I used to kind of ignore military stuff. I felt like it didn't affect me. Yeah, my Dad, Gramps, and Uncle had all been in the military, but it was a long time ago. But then my big brother/best friend told me he was going to join the United States Marine Corps. And suddenly it was all so close to my heart.

My brother Matthew and dad Eric at Matt's graduation
from Officer Candidate School, Quantico VA. summer 2012. 

Now? I can't see a picture of a homecoming or hear a song related to the military without tearing up. Now it is personal. No longer is it someone else's brother. It is my brother.

So I would like to make a simple request of you today. Please take a minute the whole day and remember why we celebrate Memorial Day. Forget about the hot dogs and the sunscreen and remember the wife who is without her husband today. Remember the children who have to say goodbye.

And make sure that you thank our service men, women and their families. If you don't see any today, make a phone call. Post on Facebook. Write about it on your blog. Do whatever you have to do to let those heroes know how much you appreciate their sacrifices.

Because while to you it may just be a casket with a flag draped over it, to the man holding the folded up flag it is his little boy.

The Sergeant hands him the flag
After the prayer
The Honor Guard fires 21 rounds 
Up in the air
The sound of Taps brings a tear to all of us
But his dad will always see him as he was

A little boy in a uniform
Five years old in the back yard 
Playing war
Dreaming of everything he could be
In this land of the free
Just like his old man
Did back in Vietnam
He was gonna be a hero for sure
That little boy in a uniform

To my father who served in the Navy, thank you. To my grandfather who served in the Army, thank you. To my brother who is joining the Marine Corps, thank you. To my uncle who served in the Navy, thank you. To Tom Mask, Gene Brazel, Derrick Staffenson, Mason Acheson and all the other military men and women out there, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the real superheroes.