What mother hasn’t felt this way? With the past week (broken laptop, couldn’t find flu shots for my kids, now Will’s sick), I definitely would love to get away just for a weekend.  When Country Inn & Suites by Carlson asked if I’d like a woman’s weekend retreat, how could I say no?

Next weekend, I’ll be heading to a local Country Inn & Suites by Carlson for a night.  My goal is get away from it all — work, reviews, the internet (though I am going to bring the laptop with since I can’t completely walk away from my internet addiction), my blackberry, etc.  Due to my many obligations, I often forget to take care of me.  This is a great way to relax and enjoy myself.  My game plan is to head to a movie, eat a nice dinner (and not have to inhale my food or bring crayons), and maybe even get some shopping in!

If you could get away, where would you go?  What would you do?

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This Week’s Post Was Suggested By Beth

Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp
21 years old from Rosemont, Minnesota
3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
July 18, 2009

Ben Kopp has been a fighter since the day he was born. When he was born his mother was given morphine to stop her labor so the doctors could deliver her via a cesarean section. But it caused his heart rate to slow and when he was born he wasn’t breathing. But he recovered to the amazement of everyone. “Ben has always been up for a challenge,” said his mother, Jill Stephenson. “He came into the world a fighter.”

On July 10, 2009, Cpl. Benjamin Kopp was wounded in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. He was hit in the knee that hit his popliteal artery and the loss of blood caused him to go into cardiac arrest on the operating table at a battalion surgical center. As a result of his injuries, Cpl. Kopp developed swelling in his brain was put into an induced coma to try and save his life. But he died on July 18.

But his service didn’t end with his passing. Upon his death, by his own desire, his organs were donated to people in need saving their lives.

“Please continue to say prayers for all of the men and women who so proudly serve our country,” Stephenson wrote online. “Ben had a deep love of country and has just left a legacy of heroism for all of us to cherish. Be as proud of him as I was as his mother.”

You can read much more about Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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If you haven’t heard about what happened in Alsip, well, you’re living under a rock.  Seriously.  I know it has made national news, and since it is quite close to where we live, I’ve gotten emails on my thoughts.  As far as I know, we don’t know anyone buried there.  That being said — this whole thing makes me ill.  I never thought I’d agree with Jesse Jackson, but there was a statement he made on the news that we can all stand behind:  “there is a special place in hell for these people”.  For those of you who don’t know, 4 employees of the Burr Oak Cemetery have been arrested for taking bodies out of graves, reselling the gravesite, and pocketing the cash.

I recently wrote a post about respecting the dead.  Well, leaving them to rest in peace falls into that.  I cringe when I watch the news and hear the new things they find.  Last nights news reported that the entire Babyland section (where they bury infants) is gone.  Gone.  Just typing that makes me sick to my stomach.  I cannot imagine losing a child and then reliving it all over again like these families are.  Since the Cook County Sheriff’s Department pretty much arrested all the staff there, they are running the cemetery.  I do have to say I think they are doing the best they can under the circumstances.  I am pretty sure scenarios like this are not in any training.  Last night, they closed the entire cemetery and made the entire place a crime scene.  Over 30 FBI agents have been called in to assist in sorting through the mass grave that was found (including ones that helped out in Serbia).  Last I heard, 300 graves were disturbed, and they think the actual count is higher.

My heart goes out to those who have loved ones in that cemetery.  I cannot imagine the heartache, the grief, and the anger that those people must feel.  This is a case that I wish the death penalty was still around for.

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Pvt. Nathan Z. Thacker
18 years old from Greenbrier, Arkansas
2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
October 12, 2007

Pvt. Nathan Z. Thacker had only been in the country for two weeks before his death, according to the soldier’s father, Stephen Thacker.

Thacker’s father said his son felt a duty to enlist. “He said it was his job. Even after he got his orders that he was going over there, he said it’s his job.”

Thacker had attended Guy-Perkins High School in Guy, Arkansas. He earned his GED in 2006, his father said. Thacker enlisted in the Army in April 2007 and completed his training at Fort Benning, Ga. He arrived at Fort Drum in August 2007. His honors include the Purple Heart.

“Nathan was an excellent man,” sister Sabrina Black said. “He loved me, I loved him, and I’d give anything to have him back.”

Pvt. Thacker was killed when an IED was detonated near his vehicle near Kirkuk. Three other soldiers were injured in the attack.

Pvt. Thacker is survived by his parents, siblings and his grandfather.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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If you read my travel blog, I outlined all the airlines and the baggage fees that they (the airlines) are now collecting.  I seriously swear it is getting to the point that if you have the wrong color bag, they are going to charge.  A lot of the airlines are also charging for blankets, pillows, soft drinks, water, and anything else you can think off.  In this last year, I have done a lot of flying, and it just floors me that you can run a business this way.

It is getting to the point that it will be cheaper to go the route of a getting a Private Jet Charter. No more of having to get to the airport 2 hours or more ahead of time to be told that your flight is delayed. No more having to worry about missing your connecting flights due to the airlines ineptness. If you want reliable service, streamlined, high safety standards, and no-surprise billing, you should definitely be looking at companies like New Flight Charters. They were founded in 2003, and they have an accident free history. Last year alone, they had 1,600 customers that were flown to 212 airports in 14 different countries!  Crews are FAA certified and every Captain is Airline Transport Pilot rated. You even get to pick what plane you want! In a world where the the airlines are nickel and diming you to death yet providing crappy service and missed connections, private charter jets may be the answer!

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