A Different Christmas Poem The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest. Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, Transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve. My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep. In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream. The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near, But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear. Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow. My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear, And I crept to the door just to see who was near. Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight. A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old, Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold. Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled, Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child. "What are you doing?" I asked without fear, "Come in this moment, it's freezing out here! Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve, You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!" For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift, Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts, To the window that danced with a warm fire's light Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right, I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night. It's my duty to stand at the front of the line, That separates you from the darkest of times." "No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me. My Gramps died at Pearl on a day in December," Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas Gram always remembers. My dad stood his watch in the jungles of Nam, And now it is my turn and so, here I am. I've not seen my own son in more than a while, But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile." Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag, The red, white, and blue... an American flag. "I can live through the cold and the being alone, Away from my family, my house and my home. I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet, I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat. I can carry the weight of killing another, Or lay down my life with my sister and brother, Who stand at the front against any and all, To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall." "So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Your family is waiting and I'll be all right." "But isn't there something I can do, at the least, give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast? It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from your wife and your son." Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love us, and never forget To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone, To stand your own watch, no matter how long. "For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we fought and we bled Is payment enough, and with that we will trust That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Good luck, and don't forget to post pictures along the way. Scott and Kelly and other pros on here have helped me and lots of other folks by pointing out items of concern to discuss with the builder. I might suggest you also join up to Troublefreepool.com forum. They tend more to owner maintenance than build & appearance info, but you can still find lots of good stuff to read and learn - things like getting a good pool test kit. Example: my local store gave me numbers on several visits that just weren't possible, such as Calcium Hardness going from 350 to 200 then back to 400 all in one week. Knowing how to maintain will save you a bunch of $$$ over the years.

Oh goodness. I wish that I could muster up some sort of tears to see this kitchen go. But, there's nothing in it that is sentimental to me at all.We moved into this house about 2 1/2 years ago, knowing then that the kitchen reno was happening because I hated the kitchen. Hated. Really. Okay, so it might have been considered "grandma's charm" if it had been my grandma's house. I know the older, previous owners (deceased, rest their souls) must have loved their little kitchen...and so for that reason, I feel a little bit bad, particularly since the hideous cabinets are actually in good shape. But, it's Bad, with a capital B. I feel a little bad that we are taking out cabinets that are still quite functional (no doors falling off, etc.) and that there's almost no chance that anyone in their right mind would want them...not not even really for a garage...although we *may* use an upper for out in our one shed. But, I hate that they aren't in worse shape because other than being ugly, they are in good shape. We've had no Great Family Gatherings here. We've had meals that I've served...but I've disliked cooking in the kitchen from the start. The only thing that has made it remotely palatable was that we sawed out a cabinet when we moved in to put in a DW. Without that DW, I would have surely lost my mind. And I have a RTA rolling cart that will be retired with the new kitchen...it's likely to be craigslisted. Bring on the new kitchen...I've been ready for it for a long time!

Whether I'm a perpetual "poo-poo"er or pragmatic, perhaps it's a fine line! Or they could be synonyms. :) I don't begrudge people going and seeing these people for entertainment purposes but as I have repeatedly made clear, I object when these scam artists take advantage of people who have lost loved ones and need consolation. That's where I draw the line. They're no better than the Bible scam from "Paper Moon". A wrestling match is hardly the same in this respect, though the analogy has some merit. The difference lies in the lies and the use of the lies. Does anyone REALLY believe they sawed the lady in half? At least Copperfield doesn't charge the lady to put her back together! Do people really believe the elephant, Leer Jet or the like disappeared into thin air? Oh, but Copperfield is REAL, isn't he? I can't think of anyone who has gone to a wrestling match hoping to talk to their child who was tragically killed a month or two before. Going for the entertainment and being aware of your senses is fine. Believe in wrestling or believing in the BDIU doesn't really matter unless there's a scam involved. I hardly think, Lydia, that if someone were to say they're off to rape the mentally challenged or bilk seniors out of their retirement fund, that you'd simply say "have fun"! At least I hope not, but then again, I'm not psychic so... ;) Some people believe that soap operas are real. Harmless but what happens when they set up a fund to help "Little Jimmy" in that soap opera and cash in on peoples' need/desire to help? That's a big difference in my mind. Many people used to defend the seance mediums like some here defend John Edward. Are there some mediums, fortune tellers, astrologers, etc that were/are real? Possibly. Go to one for fun? Sure. But really, having a president running a country being guided by one is scary if not sick. Personally I want to believe that there is some sort of afterlife. Way too much reveng to be had for just one lifetime! I also believe I've been contacted by the "dead" on occasion. I also think that some things are coincidence and some are nothing more than a dream. I'll admit I've gone to my mother's grave and talked to her. I'll talk to her even when I'm not at the site of her life container for that matter. Something like that giving comfort to a person is harmless when not abused. So I guess it's the ethics and morals prompting my "poo-poo" rather than disdain. There's a lot of times I've known things would happen, just knew it. I think most everyone probably has the sense in them if they recognize it and can separate it from the rest. But no, I don't think I can chat with the dead on a daily basis, I'm not that big of a fool. But I do think I could scam these people on par with many of them, which my morals forbid. And I'm certainly sensible enough to realize that much can be coincidence too. I would find it interesting to go to one of these things in person or at least see one recorded and unedited, but I can't in good conscience contribute financially to this thing any more than financially support a spammer. And the biggest thing, I possibly could be convinced, but I'd still need an explanation then as to why he needs to "cheat"! I still can't understand why billionaires need to cheat on their taxes though. BTW, nobody has been able to answer these questions for me: If these people truly are the psychics they pretend to be: 1) Didn't Dionne Warwick KNOW her Psychic Friends Network would go belly up? 2) Didn't John Edward know the people would find the microphones? Wouldn't one of the dead folks tell him? 3) Why does John Edward need a GPS? (or any of them but he brags about needing it) and lastly and probably most importantly, 4) Why won't one of them tell Natalee Holloway's mother where her body can be found? We know her mother is very willing to pay big bucks for info and I would think with the greed shown by these scammers they'd line up to grab it if they could. Or for that matter how about finding Jody Husintruit, Jimmy Hoffa, Amelia Earhart or even Bin Laden? And good night nurse, why not help poor OJ look for Nicole & Ron's murderer? He searched the golf courses unsuccessfully for years, as promised and could use some help. Hey, they could even do a reality show "Find The Body of the Week". WTH, maybe they should just testify at the trial to start and we would save a lot of money. The dead person could identify the murderer. And hey, once and for all he/they could tell us at which Michigan McDonalds Elvis works! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go "poo-poo"!