The Important Things

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One of the joys of having a child with Down syndrome is that they are constantly reminding you of the truly important things in life, simply by living a life full of joy and happiness.  They live each day to the fullest, and they live each day full of love.

For Rebecca’s birthday, we took her to see the new Pixar movie “Brave”.  Rachel was in town on a business trip, so she met us at the theater.  It was a real treat for Rebecca to have her big sister there – it meant an extra lap that she could sit in if things got too scary.

The movie was REALLY good – if you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend it.  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it; suffice it to say that it is a wonderful movie about the bonds within a family and the power of love.
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Posted in Down syndrome, Family, Inspirational, Just Because, Think about it | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Happy Birthday to the Best Husband in the World

On this day 52 years ago, a very special little boy was born.

I just LOVE Birthdays!  (Especially mine….)

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Posted in Family, Just Because, Special Occasions | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Making Happy Birthday (Cake) Memories

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Yesterday was Rebecca’s birthday, and since she has Celiac Disease, we can’t just go to the store and buy a pre-made cake.  Sarah has been doing more cooking around the house, so while she was at the grocery store getting stuff to make dinner, she also bought a box of GF cake mix to make a birthday cake for Rebecca.

This being the Koch family, it was inevitable that things got “interesting”….

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Posted in Family, Humor, Messin' with my kids, Special Occasions | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

“Someone to Watch Over Me”

I’ve always loved this song – this is without a doubt one of the loveliest versions of it that I have ever heard:
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That’s Jean Louisa Kelly from the wonderful movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus“.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
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Posted in Contemporary, Just Because, Music | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday to a Very Special Little Girl

On this day 11 years ago, we were given a very special gift:
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On July 10, 2001, we welcomed Rebecca Claire into the world.  She was absolutely perfect – another beautiful daughter.  A few hours after her birth, our pediatrician gently informed us that Rebecca had been born with Down syndrome.  The next 48 hours were a real emotional roller coaster.  We cried, we asked ourselves, “Why?”, and we prayed.  A lot.

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Posted in Family, Special Occasions | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

“How Do You Cope?” – Learning to Count My Blessings

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I found this in my e-mail this morning – it’s from a member of a discussion board that I’m on:

How do you cope?

Hello all! Hoping this post finds you strong and happy! I have been dealing with MG since March 6,2006, yet still wonder how exactly to COPE with it. All of us remember how strong we were, pre-MG. How we could take on anything (it felt at least)……..

I have very blessed in certain areas. My hubby still loves me. My family is healthy and happy. I am still a wreck. I know I should be grateful I’m still here with my family, but feel cheated, cheated by my body. Granted, I am much stronger now. I can walk, talk, breathe. I still miss the old me. I do know that a lot of us will go into remission. That is what I am praying for daily.

How do you cope with the emotions that having a chronic illness bring?

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Posted in Feelin' Sorry for Myself, Inspirational, Just Because, Think about it | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Happy Birthday, America! (2012)

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“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”


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Posted in Holiday/Patriotic, Holidays, I Love America, Inspirational, Music, Special Occasions, Think about it | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

An Unelected Political Appointee Just Became The Most Powerful Person in the Country

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It’s been an interesting few days, hasn’t it?

One man’s vote declared that The Government can tax its citizens for not purchasing a good or a service.

And under the law that was upheld, one person – namely the unelected, politically-appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services – gets to decide which goods and services will be provided under that law (and more importantly, which goods and services will NOT be provided).

Congratulations, America – your healthcare system just became a tyrannical dictatorship.

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Posted in A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy, Elections, Feelin' Sorry for Myself, I Am Breitbart, Liberal Nonsense, Lying Lawyers, Things That Make Me Crazy, Think about it | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“Claire de Lune”

This is a hauntingly beautiful arrangement of “Claire de Lune” performed on a 10-string guitar – I heard a version of this on the “Falling Skies” episode titled “Young Bloods”. I don’t know if this is the one that was used in the show, but it’s close enough.

The artist’s name is Vincenzo Macaluso.

I have only ever heard this done in a symphonic setting, so this was quite a treat:
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Lord knows, the past few days have been stressful – this is a wonderful tonic…
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Posted in Broadway/TV/Film, Classical, Just Because, Music | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

SCOTUS Pwns Obama with a “Schrodinger’s Cat” Solution

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“Bite me, Obama.”

In essence, I think that is what Chief Justice John Roberts just said to the spoiled child who set about to “fundamentally transform” this country.  Obama just got hit right between the eyes with Justice Roberts’ Schrodinger’s Cat decision on the fate of Obamacare.

While all of the liberals are whooping it up and celebrating their “win”, they have lost sight of one very important thing:

The Supreme Court’s ruling gave them nothing.

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Posted in A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy, I Am Breitbart, Liberal Nonsense, Lying Lawyers, Think about it | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments