Details of your Wedding Day

Okay, I just had to take the plunge on Jouranl Jar Question #86.  So, here's the story:                

                                           

It was March 12th.  I was 23 and he was 21.  I went to work in my off-white dressy dress.  Pete went shopping at Beall's for a new outfit.  Changed at his brother Tommy's house and picked me up at work right before lunch.  I had asked my boss for half a day off for personal reasons.  We drove over to the County seat to the courthouse.  We bought our marriage liscence.  Not waiting period then.....HIV wasn't full blown yet.  Then we went upstairs and down the hall to Justice of the Peace's office.   But they were closed for lunch so we went to a local hamburger joint in town and had a bite ourselves. 

Then back to the JP's office.  His name was Pete McKinney and my Pete had worked for him off and on.  We exchanged vows right there in his office.  I was so nervous I could hardly get my words out.  I had no ring for Pete.  He slipped Mom's ring on my hand.  (I had already lost Mom and Dad by this point......didn't think I could enjoy a traditional wedding without them there.) 

From Kountze we went to Tommy' house and his wife, Julie ran out and got a cheap bottle of champaign to toast us with......took pictures of us.....Pete holding me in his arms.  I phoned my sister from there to tell her what I'd done.  She was very happy for me.....and I think relieved she didn't have to plan a wedding!  lol  

When we left there we went and got a loan at a bank!  lol  Talk about startingout in debt!  But we needed to pay my stepfather for improvements he had made on the house we were going to make our home.

Then we took off up the road to visit Pete's older cousins who he had been living with and tell them the news.  Had to twist his arm to get him home with me!  lol  Unusual, probably......and neither of us asked the other to marry them, so I'm still not quite sure how it all came about!?!

 

All anyone is talking about

                                          

Well, it's all anyone is talking about.....Katrina and it's aftermath......so I suppose I'll wade into the waters, too.  Many of the journals that are listed in my sidebar have good comments and well wishes on them.  I want to specifically mention Sweeping the Cobwebs of My Mind, because she has a list posted of the countries who are offering aide to the US in our time of crisis and need.  I do hope our nation accepts many of these offers.....as how often does a nation truly have the chance to help the US?  And if they are sincere, would it not be a slap in thier face to refuse their help?  It is our very self sufficient and self indulgent image that often sets others teeth on edge.

My overwhelming question is not as much why isn't help pouring in quicker, but why were so many ever left in the city in the first place....when they were calling for a manditory evacuation.  Did they not know how many were there that had no means to evacuate?  Why didn't they commander Greyhound and such?  Perhaps the strains of the song from 25 years ago were echoing in their ears....."don't mind the strains of a hurricane, they come round every June....that dark black water, she's the Devils daughter, she's hard and she's cold and she's mean, but we finally taught her it takes a lot of water to wash away New Orleans."

 In a more personal and local vane, we are 30 miles NE of Beaumont, TX.  I am proud of how our state is responding to our LA neighbors.  In Beaumont both Lowes and Home Depot have pledged to match donations dollar for dollar.  People are coming up to the shelters, asking what is needed, leaving and returning a short time later with those very items.  Some are going to shelters to bring people home with them to live.  The state is leaving agency's open for the weekend that might assist those in need.  Tiny counties and metropolitan areas together.  Already helping willing people find jobs.  Others being rushed through for emergency food stamps and aide.  I am very proud of my state.....and especially of those in my area!  Though it may very well mean the jobmarket I am trying to enter may get very conjested!!

A local channel put up a computer generated thing.....they took what happened in LA with Katrina and ran a program where instead Beaumont took a direct hit from a catorgory 5 hurricane.  Everything South of I-10 would be under water.....a surge up the Neches River would come all the way up the river bottom just shy of us. 

Terri over at Farm Life asked about gas and prices in our areas.  I went to the feedstore earlier today.  They were out of all grades of fuel, but expecting a drop this evening.  The other store I passed only carries reg. unleaded.....they had it for $2.79/gal.  Probably an older drop.

I hear many wondering about end times.  My own veiw is when I see Jesus desending toward the earth....as the sun rises in the morning......I'm out of here!  All disasters will accelerate certainly.  Wars and rumors of wars.  Famine and pestilence.  All these things have long been with us, and will be right up to the end of the earth.  Are they truly intensified, or is it the vast expansion in knowledge and communication that makes it seem so?  Both I think.  In my head I wonder if there is some poetic justice in that we (our government) supported Isreal making refugees out of many of their own citizens.......so did a Higher Authority make refugees of many of ours?  You see so many wrecked casinos and gambling barges.........did this make this area a target?  Or in His infinate mercy did God turn the brunt of the storm just in time....that the levy's did wait almost a day to fail....that water did not rush in so fast as to drown every person left there?  I am neither Bible scholar enough nor saint enough to be certain of any of it.  But I do know my Sweet Savior.  And I know that he tarries that all may have time to repent and turn to Him.  I know His mercy is unending and His love and forgiveness everlasting. 

I do not know why my last entry would not allow comments.  I checked my settings and they are correct.  If anyone trys to comment this time and cannot......please shoot me an e-mail, so I can shoot AOL.  lol  No, so I can get with them and see what's wrong.  Anyone wishing to comment on the previous entry I am so sorry for the inconvience, but it's beyond me!

For What it is Worth......

                                     

I've received the same e-mail several times lately, calling for folks to boycott the major oil companies in an effort to force some price lowering.  After some consideration, I decided to share some information that might be helpful to you.  I worked 6+ years for an oil distributor.  Here's the sad truth.

There are "branded" stations and "unbranded" stations.  A branded station clearly displays an oil company's name.....this is largely for credit card purposes.  An unbranded station carries no oil company name and accepts only major credit cards.  

Even if you could keep up with buy outs and purchases to know who truly owned a company, you'd be hard put making sure you weren't buying gas from them anyway.

Some branded stations accept "drops" from only thier company's rack.  (A drop is a fuel delivery.  A rack is what the tanker trucks load the fuel from.)  Others allow drops from different racks.

As for unbranded stations, well their gasoline could come from any rack at all and could vary load by load as the distributor probably bids whichever rack is cheaper that day.

Just wanted to mention it for what it is worth.........do whatever you feel you've got to do.

As a side note, did you know that there is no "plus" or "mid-grade" refined?  They achieve this product by mixing x number gallons reg. unleaded with x number gallons super.

Are you aware that most stations only add 5-10cents per gallon over what they pay for the gas?  Depending on your state, you are probably paying 58 to 65 cents per gallon in taxes.  BlogThis!