Semper Ag: Election Thoughts and Veteran's Day Weekend

So...

Since my last blog post, we have a new President-elect....

This is all I have to say (my blog isn't a political blog, so this is it!)....

I have many friends who are deeply saddened by the outcome of the election...most of whom are friends in the minority, LGBT, and muslim communities.

(So you can imagine, mostly friends who did not vote for Trump).

If you did vote for Trump, disregarding their anger, fear, and frustration as being silly and wimpy is just plain rude.

Telling them to "get over it" is self absorbed in a way.

I read on FB today that summed up my feelings about the people saying "get over it"...

"Interestingly, the folks screaming "get over it!" will cry for weeks when their football teams don't make it to the Super Bowl. They're still griping about deflated footballs and whatever other scandals befall their teams"

Puts it into perspective right?

I don't talk about who I voted for.

People can take educated guesses, but I will never openly say it on social media.

I don't talk about it because it's none of your business, and people are jerks.

I don't even really talk about with some of my closest friends.

All I am saying is, regardless of who you chose to vote for, have some compassion and respect for those who are genuinely upset or feel differently than you.

(I'm also going to add that needing a "day off" from class to mourn and violently protesting the loss of your candidate is absolutely absurd and ridiculous...but feel free to protest peacefully...it's your right.)

On to better, happier things...

Check out my lovely painting I did with watercolor!

If you're an artist, art major, art collector, art teacher, art enthusiast.......DON'T JUDGE!

I'm actually very proud of myself.

One of the military wives hosted a social at her house for all the military spouses.

She did a paint and wine night, and it was an absolute blast!

One of my favorite things about military life is getting together with other military spouses to socialize.

We just "get each other" in a way that regular spouses don't understand.

Random photo of Dannika because her outfit was "on fleek"...

Our sweet nanny turned 22 last week, so Mattis and I hooked her up with a donut tower from Shipley's!

Veteran's day was last Friday, and you can read about why I am the "totally awkward veteran".

I tend to focus more on our older veterans and particularly our Vietnam veterans.

I feel like they never got a proper "welcome home", and that they deserve a lifetime of our respect and gratitude.

Yes, I am a veteran, and I am not discounting my service as less than, but if you read my "awkward veteran" post, you'll know why.

Nick and I were asked to do a veteran's day talk for Dannika's second grade.

I think Nick is a great speaker, so I asked him to set it up, and I would talk at the end.

He did a great job teaching the kids the difference between Veterans day and Memorial day, and he set up a GREAT display for all the kids! (see below)

We even got Dannika's teacher involved and dressed her up in a FROG suit...complete with load bearing vest and AMMO!

She looks really comfy, doesn't she?!

Afterwards, our family headed to the Dixie Chicken to participate in their walk for the "Boot Campaign".

"Boot Campaign is dedicated to promoting patriotism for America and our military community; raising awareness of the unique challenges service members face during and post-service; and providing assistance to military personnel, past and present, and their families. Retail sales of combat boots, apparel and mission-focused merchandise, general public donations and corporate sponsorships fund programs that support military families. These efforts extend to all generations of military personnel who endure significant physical, emotional and circumstantial hardships resulting from their service and sacrifice."

Afterwards, we stuck around so that Nick could dunk his Aggie Ring (more on that later!).

They had live music, and we stuck around to watch Clayton Gardner perform.

Fun fact: I had a class with him last semester!

So the Aggie Ring Drunk tradition is not a university sponsored tradition (and is actually discouraged by the University itself).

However, Aggies are all about their "traditions", and the "Ring Dunk" has become ingrained as tradition.

You can read in detail about it here.

In a nutshell...

"A student drops their newly-acquired Aggie Ring into a pitcher of beer, chugs the entire pitcher, and then catches the ring in their teeth. This tradition began in the 1970s when a [student] accidentally dropped his ring in his beer and figured chugging what was left in his glass was the best way to get his ring back. Word spread - though unofficially, as the bar (The Dixie Chicken) in which the first dunk took place never advertised - and the tradition was born. It's actually a pretty big deal for some people; parties are thrown in honor of and siblings, parents, and extended family members (especially those who are Aggies themselves) come into town to witness ring dunks"

Nick, being the traditional Aggie that he is needed to do it at the famous Dixie Chicken where it all started.

Many students today choose to do it at other places, but it all began here...

Our sweet friend (whom our daughter and her daughter are BFFs) owns the chicken, and being the amazing and gracious friend and host that she is...she hooked Nick up with his own Dixie Chicken pitcher to dunk his ring in.

Typically, students let their beer sit out for days to let it go flat before dunking their ring.

Then they dunk their ring at room temperature.

I guess this makes it go down easier?

YUCK!

Nick did his straight out of the tap...cold Bud Light....

He did it in 1 minute and 6 seconds!

Congrats Nick!

You're official!

Afterwards, Dannika and her best friend came over to have a sleepover.

Saturday was the military appreciation game at A&M.

We played Ole Miss and suffered a devastating loss.

But our kids had a blast...and at the end of the day...it is just football.

Nick was in uniform for the game because he was part of the flag unfurling ceremony at Kyle Field.
I won't go into detail about why I was not part of it (politics....that did not have to do with me being a woman veteran because several people asked me that)...but I am over it..

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band!

Despite the loss, our family had a wonderful time at the game.

One of my favorite things to do is feeding people.

Seriously!

I love cooking for people.

I invited two sweet Aggie girls I am interning with this semester and a midshipman in the Aggie Corps of Cadets for dinner on Sunday.

We sat around the dinner table until 930 just talking and telling stories.

I truly love the energy, passion, and insight these young people bring.

People my age and older always seem to be complaining about "those millenials", but none of them ever really sit down to get to know them.

As a 32 year old undergrad, I have the unique perspective of observing the younger people of my generation and being "withing their population" (some call me a millenial, some call me the last of generation X).

Yeah...some of these young kids annoy me like no other (but people my age annoy me like no other too).

But our young people have a fire and a lot to say!
If you're one complaining about millenials...you haven't truly met a "real Millenial".

These girls have so much knowledge and passion to offer the world.

They're going to be world changers.

I am proud to know that they are our future.