A day to Remember

Freedom Is Not Free

By LCDR Kelly Strong, USCG - Copyright 1981

I watched the flag pass by one day,

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Service man saluted it,

And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

With hair cut square and eyes alert

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

When everything was still,

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That Taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin.

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

Cmdr. Strong may be contacted by email at:"kellystrong @ aol.com"Website with info: www.iwvpa.net/strongk

To all those who have served and who are serving

To those who have lost family members through the service

Thank you, We remember your sacrifice.

HUGS

Reading a Romance, Enjoying the chase

As many have heard me confess one of my procrastination past-times is reading magazines to find what-ifs and research on character and plot development. Last week I came across two studies that caught my eye...

One study made me smile, glad I am in the writing profession, and that romance is the genre through which my creativity flows. Yay for falling in love and happy ever-afters. The study found that reading a romance novel triggers the same positive physical responses falling in love does, including lowering the levels of Cortisol, the body’s stress hormone.

Another study revealed that the libido can be jump-started by playing a competitive game. One that gets you moving, like tag *g* raises your testosterone level… In case you didn’t know that’s the hormone that boosts your sex drive. Participating in a competitive event can raise it 49% in women and just anticipating the competition raises it 24%. Men’s levels rise too, when he plays sports. But unlike women, whose levels stay peaked win or lose, if his team loses his level plunges. LOL, so Ladies I guess it’s in our own best interest to let him win.

Or as I learned during my eye-rolling through the Bachelor…Let him catch you but make him work at it. It’s not the woman that gives him no contest--I’m all yours--that gets the final rose. It is the one that lets him know she is interested but leads him on a chase -- makes him convince her-- compete for her heart, who receives it.

May you enjoy the conquest, whether by reading the heated chase of hero and heroine in a romance novel or in pursuit of your own true HEA.
HUGS
Mari

We were Tagged

Our good Friend and awesome writer Mechele Armstrong was nice enough to tag us.
Yes, US, Marissa Alwin is a combined alter-ego LOL. She doesn't think so highly of herself that she goes around speaking in queen's english. *g*

Since we have been away for a bit a little intro might be a good place to get back into the swing of things. So I am going to do my eight then let Rissa do eight.

THE RULES:(For those of you who follow those kinda things!)Here are the rules according to whomever likes to makeup rules (not me):
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (All's fair in Lurv and bloggin')
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.


Eight Random Things about Mari:

1. My first name is Maureen and I am a procrastination addict!

2. Growing up as an only child I now find myself a mother of 4 -- 3 boys and 1 girl. 16,13,10 and 5 respectively.

3. I have a graduate degree in speech-language pathology

4. I make mosaics of m&m's and skittles before I eat them

5. My blood consists of Diet Dr Pepper and Reese's Peanut Butter cups, although the new snapple green tea and 3 musketeer bars are beginning to delute them.

6. I have travelled to Ireland 3 times and Kissed the Blarney Stone on each visit. Yes, There are some that say I am full of it. *g*

7. Growing up between the ages of 6 and 12 I broke each arm twice and my leg once. this year while living at my parents I slipped on wet tile and broke my elbow.

8. We just moved home after a year and a bit living with my parents while made a major renovation to our house! I am searching for my sanity but how can you find what you never had? It is really great to be back in my own space though!

Rissa here:

1. I want to see Ireland with Mari!
2. I'm a Gene Simmons fangirl.
3. I'm not a winter person.
4. I have four children.
5. At the moment baseball is my favorite sport.
6. My fried chicken is almost as good as my grandma's. was
7. I cannot sing, and I can tell when someone else can't either.
8. I want to see a play on Broadway. Hopefully in October!

As to who to tag? SO many wonderful friends all worth getting to know! Who can choose? Anyone passing by that wants to share 8 random things about themselves please do. if we know you or if we don't, we always enjoy getting to know you. Leave them here or leave the link to your site so we can visit. (((HUGS)))