Elizabeth is EIGHT!

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It’s hard to believe she is turning eight! I am overwhelmed with joy at the awesome person Elizabeth is turning into, while at the same time, I’m feeling very sad at how fast this is all seeming to happen!

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I’m sure that in eight more years, she’ll be turning 16 and I’ll be feeling similar feelings of happiness and sadness, so I really need to just be ‘in the moment’ right now and enjoy every moment of “eight” that I can!

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Singing & Dancing

For those of you who are still checking in on my blog (or are subscribed to the blog’s RSS feed) you may be wondering where I’ve been.  Well, the past few weeks have been such a blur, I’m not sure even I can answer that question accurately.  Anyhow, one thing that happened in the Webel family recently that is noteworthy is Elizabeth and Anna’s Spring performance.

The girls have been preparing for this for weeks and it was so much fun for the actual performance to happen!  The video is a bit long, 14 minutes or so, but if you watch it, I promise it will make you smile a time or two!  :-)

Happy Birthday America!

I\'m Happy!

Anyone else this happy about the 4th?  This is Nate’s first “4th of July” in his young life, and he’s gonna be spending it in Asia with his family and a group of friends from Kansas!  I hope he grows up to love and appreciate the USA like I do.

I think there is something about living abroad that makes you appreciate America even more than you would have if you had never left.  I know it’s certainly true for me.  There are many things (a couple of REALLY BIG ONES) that I have totally come to appreciate about America now that I don’t live there anymore.

As many of you know, I am just coming off of a 10 month stay in America where one of my observations was how much everyone – particularly politicians and journalist and those who listen to politicians and journalist without thinking for themselves – would go on and on about how TERRIBLE things were in America today.  Excuse me, ‘terrible’?!  Really?  Is your perspective really that microscopic that you cannot see beyond $4 gas?  Shame on you.  Go get a passport immediately.  Travel to ANY other country.  Live there (as opposed to being a ‘tourist’ there.)  Then come back and tell me how terrible Americans have it.

OK, I’m getting off my soap-box before I get in trouble (translation = before Erica gets upset with me.)

Happy 4th of July everyone!  Go have a burger, a Dr. Pepper and some yummy ice cream… I’ll be having rice… and I will appreciate every bite.