This is important.

Yesterday I sat down with my husband and we spent hours, literal hours discussing the state of our America. The country we are citizens of. A country I used to call home and I am scared to ever call home again.

I ask, if you are reading this to actually read this and listen to what I have to say. Don't shake your head and scoff at me. Don't close out. Just read and listen for a few moments because I have something important to tell you.

Change doesn't happen by you making posts on social media websites and angering your fellow Americans.

Change doesn't happen by you going to church on Sunday and praying that God give us something better.

Change doesn't happen by you spending hours talking to your husband about how awful the country is becoming and how much you want it to change.

Change starts with you.

You do have a voice, and don't you dare let America's politics tell you any differently. You absolutely have a voice. You telling yourself there is nothing you can do is a lie and an excuse to turn off your feelings towards the hate.

This isn't about muslims, terrorists, gay people, black people, white people. This is about all of us. As a country. As a whole.

Don't you want to be proud of the country you live in? Are you now? I'm sure as hell not.

I don't agree with gun laws and let me tell you why. Maybe it doesn't matter, and maybe you still won't agree with me, but I can't sit here anymore and watch how hurt so many people are in our country. How so many parents have lost kids younger than me because of hate.

Why do you need a gun? Why do you need the right to own a weapon that can mow down 50+ people in minutes? Why do you need that right? If you can answer those questions and look yourself in the mirror, than good for you. But maybe you should think about those questions for a few minutes.

Because of your right to own those weapons people are dying. It's that simple.

Australia took away that right from their citizens and do you know how many mass shootings they have had since the law took place? None.

They haven't. Had. One. Mass. Shooting.

That is a fact. It's not a lie, it's not something to make you agree with me. It's an actual statistic of a country that took away the right to own guns and hasn't had a mass shooting since.

No country is perfect, but guess what? Every time this happens (the 18th time in 8 years by the way) we just argue. We get on Facebook and we argue and make each other upset and people lose friendships. But do you ever actually consider doing something to change the state of our country?

You can, you know. And guess what? In November you can absolutely do more. This isn't just an election for the President. It's an election for Senators, people who represent your state. And you can absolutely vote for someone new.

Don't like Hilary or Donald? Did it ever occur to you to not vote for either of them? There are more parties, you can even write in someone else.

A lot of small power makes big power.

You are not helpless. You are completely capable of making a change and you need to. If you sit there and complain and repost things on the internet, that's not changing anything.

I am going to post links below to show you how to change things. And maybe you don't want to, because a lot of these laws step on boundaries. Guys, people who are online and having associations with terrorists should 100% not be allowed to own a gun. Does that mean the government shouldn't spy on us? Maybe, but what do you have to hide?

The government can look at my search history all they want. They may think "man that girl needs to walk away from Korean pop music" but I don't care. If it means I can send my son to school and know he's safe then so be it.

I am prepared to let go of rights if it means my safety. And maybe that makes me silly in your eyes. But as a mother, I can think of nothing better than to protect myself and my family. I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to worry about. So why does it matter?

There are people right now who associate with Isis, American citizens, who own these military grade weapons.

What's going to stop them from shooting you at the grocery store tomorrow? Or Target when you go buy food?

Or even Chic fil a?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Unless you decide to make a change.

I urge you to watch this video. This woman makes a lot of really good points and explains things in a great way. You don't have to be gay, racist, anything. You just have to take care of each other and love one another.

I also urge you to look into your state senator. Look into the people who represent your vote in the Senate. As much power as the president likes to think they have, they don't have much. Our next 4 years are bleak. But you can start today. You can start the change today.

Even if you tweet "I don't want anyone to own military grade weapons in my country" to your senator you've done something.

I'm tired of sitting still. I'm tired of crying because I'm scared for the world my son is being raised in.

So I am starting today. I am fixing this today. I am changing how I respond to these things today. No longer will I cry and pray. Now I will cry, pray, and then go online and blast the heck out of the government until my fingers can no longer type.

If you don't agree with me, that's okay. I don't care anymore, but I am going to say what I need to say and do what I need to do for my own personal beliefs.

Thank you if you listened.

Links below.

Ban the AR-15 from Civilian Ownership.

Contact Your Elected Representatives About Gun Control 

You Can't Argue with Fact.

The Majority suffers because of the Minority.

And other reasons why I think gun owners need to take the stick out.

I am an American living in a foreign country. Two weekends ago a 21 year old soldier decided to get behind the wheel of a car in this country completely drunk and hit someone head on.

The entire U.S. Navy secured liberty for sailors in Japan.

The majority suffers because of the minority.

A man who decides he is a muslim, I say he decides because I'm sure a lot of actual muslims don't agree he was one, goes into a bar and shoots up the place because he doesn't like gay people. Now muslims have yet another reason to be judged.

The majority suffers because of the minority.

Gun control laws are stronger in other countries and the proof is in the pudding, it's changed their crime rates. Physically the numbers have changed. So a lot of Americans want similar laws in America. Gun owners every where throw a temper tantrum.

The majority suffers because of the minority.

A young dark skinned man walks down the street at night with his hood up because it's cold. He gets targeted for being a problem when all he wants to do is go home.

The majority suffers because of the minority.

A man stands next to a woman on the train. She gets a sour look and moves away from him. He was just standing there, but because women can't trust strangers on trains she moved.

The majority suffers because of the minority.

I'm a white woman and a Christian. When someone looks at me they assume I'm a judgemental, Starbucks loving, over-privileged piece of crap. Oh, and why am I not in the kitchen?

I suffer because of the mistakes of people I don't agree with made.

This isn't an exaggeration these are truths. I'm sorry you like to own guns, collect them, or even actually use them to go hunting. I'm sorry you think that no matter what a bad person will get their hands on a gun. I'm sorry you have to suffer because of the mistakes of someone else. I personally don't understand why this is even an issue. Do you really need this gun? Do you have to own a weapon that's causing an entire country to suffer so greatly right now? Is it that important to you? I don't get it, but I understand how it feels to be judged. How it feels to have something taken away from you because of something someone else did.

I've been in Japan for a month. I'm not a drinker, I'm not a partier. However, because of the 21 year old who went out on her birthday and screwed up I cannot drink. I cannot go into town and buy a liquor to try with my Japanese food. I cannot celebrate with Japanese people with Sake.

Because of a few young kids who don't know how to take responsibility and pay for a cab.

Is that fair? Not at all.

You know what I'm told all the time? Life isn't fair. Someone is going to get first place, someone is going to cut you in line, someone is going to make you upset.

And the majority will continue to suffer because of the minority.

Unfortunately, that is the world we live in.  I cannot stand the fact that we have to have arguments over weapons when I live in a country right now that I can't even own a knife and I can sleep with the door unlocked.

It's just...can you wake up? Can you stop being a judgemental crap turd and wake up? The laws HAVE to change because of the decisions of OTHERS. The minority is becoming the majority in America.

How many people have to die because you have to have a "right" to own something?

It's sad because this post is worthless. No one will get it, half of the people who need to won't read it. America is a stubborn and ignorant country and it makes me sick. I'm seriously disgusted by so many people I don't even know why I'm bothering to try to say my own words about it.

I guess I'm just as stubborn and ignorant as everyone in another country will assume I am.

Sucks to be stereotyped doesn't it?

Day 4: Disney World Adventures

Today we hit Animal Kingdom followed by a delicious dinner in Epcot! In Animal Kingdom we road the Safari and saw a lot of great animals, including B's favorite; a giraffe! They walked right past us! It was so neat to see and to watch his reaction to everything. 

We also so the Lion King show and that was terrific! Truly a great show for the family to see! B met a few more characters today including Pooh Bear and Tigger. He was enthralled to meet them and it is the most heart warming experience a parent can have.

We went to Epcot for a fancy steak dinner that my aunt and uncle had snagged reservations for. There we got B chocolate "moose" and it was delicious! 

All in all today was a busy, but more relaxed day in the parks. Tomorrow we are doing some shopping and lighter activities. And Thursday is MY BIRTHDAY! Hitting the big 2-5 this year! Yikes! Thursday is Magic Kingdom day and will probably be the most action packed day we have. Literally the best park, we have a lot of rides that B can go on (including Pirates of the Carribean and Haunted Mansion--yes!!) and we have a special Christmas celebration for park after hours.

Friday is Hollywood Studios day and our last day--so sad! 

K is doing better, but still sore after the days are done. We decided it would be best if he stayed in the bungalow tomorrow and rested for the day. Especially since we will not be visiting a park tomorrow and Thursday will be a long day!

Again, I can't help but humble myself and take these blessings in! It has been an amazing trip so far--I am a lucky woman this week.

Road Trip To Disney: Days 2 and 3

I definitely spoke too soon about my decent trip down to Florida! Saturday night we got to the hotel, B woke up and was hard to get back down. And K had his back problems (due to an accident some time ago) flare up drastically. We eventually got to sleep around 1/1:30 am.

At 5:30 K woke me with a start, "Sam, I can't breath. I have to go to the hospital."

In my jumbled tiredness I tried to comprehend this without waking B. "What's happening?" I asked, needing symptoms explained.

"The pain is so bad, I literally cannot take it anymore."

What words to hear at 5 am, miles from home, with your 18 month old still asleep in the room! After much discussion, we decided to send K to the hotel's front desk and get a taxi to take him to the nearest hospital. I remained behind so that B could stay asleep, and not enter an ER.

Around 9:30 I went to pick K up. I was under the impression from a phone conversation at 8:30 that he was being discharged and could be picked up. Little did I know that the massive amount of pain killers they injected him with caused him to pass out twice and therefore, be re-admitted. To have a nurse answer your husband's phone and tell you to wait outside for her to come talk to you--not a great experience! However, she was so kind and merely told me they were trying to get K in best shape to be taken the remaining 5 hours to Orlando. She suggested a few things I could do with B while waiting for him.

My day was turned upside down. I wanted nothing more than to just be able to get to Disney and finally start my vacation! Being in a new city without my husband was not ideal, but you know what I say about life handing you lemons! F*** the lemons and bail! 

I texted my husband and told him to rest and relax and not worry. And I cried in my car for 5 minutes, bucked up, vented to my mom, and drove my sorry butt into downtown Savannah, GA. 

It turned out to be a fantastic decision on my part! B and I had a lunch buffet at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons, and walked the river walk. It was a very enjoyable afternoon and it wore B out so well that he fell asleep on our ride back to the hospital to pick up K.

Once my husband and son were safely buckled in, fed, and asleep; we were on the road again!

B slept for 3 hours of that trip! And K slept for 2! After a stressful day I was very happy to have those couple of hours of quiet driving to be alone in my own thoughts and just blank out! Not having to worry or think about a thing!

We FINALLY made it to Disney World and our Treehouse in Saratoga Springs Resort at 7:30 Sunday evening. 

We had a busy day and early morning ahead of us. I definitely took my suitcases apart, packed B's backpack for the next day and crashed! We woke up early at 6 am this morning (Monday) and got ready for our first Disney day! 

We has breakfast with characters and B got to meet Pooh Bear and Tigger! My B is a child after my own heart, a huge Tigger fan! To see his face light up as he realized Tigger was standing right in front of him was unreal! In hilarity, Tigger leaned on the table to be closer to B and B immediately picked up some stray food near Tigger as if to say, "don't stick your hand in that food and get dirty!" Truly my child! 

After breakfast we hit Epcot! K rented a motor chair so that he could be more comfortable and we went off to lots of fun rides and attractions. There was not a huge lot of things for B, but the sights and rides he could see were enough to knock him out for a good hour or two after lunch! And once he was awake he was back at it and ready to play!  He got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto! And that experience had tears in my eyes! To watch him meet Mickey was absolutely amazing, he was so awe-struck and amazed--what an incredible experience as a mother! That was one to cash into the memory banks for eternity!

All in all, Day 1 at Disney was nothing less than successful. B has been an incredible kid for only 18 months old. He has so much to take in, and his routine is gone and yet, he's been so well behaved. Only a breakdown when it's time to eat. I truly hope and pray that this is the bar set for the rest of the week. Because if so--we are about to have one of the best weeks of our lives. I'm so grateful and blessed to have this experience with my family. I'm so glad we could do this.

Road Tripping!

Today we embarked on our journey to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL! I have been BEYOND excited for this trip. There is a 6 year old girl inside of me ready to scream and pee herself when we see those giant Mickey ears. 

We are so blessed to have my Aunt and Uncle help us with this trip. More than we deserve! They travel down every year and so, as veterans, they are hooking us up with a lot of great stops and reservations. They also got us upgraded to tree house bungalows outside of Animal Kingdom--we are staying fabulous on this trip! 

So yes, we took the brave (and cheapest) route down; driving. From our home to Orlando averages 12-14 hours driving time, and we have B with us! 

As day 1 is coming to a close I feel so proud of my little 18 month old. Stuck in his yucky car seat for almost 10 hours today he only cried about 30 minutes. No break downs, as long as the iPad was playing a movie we seemed to be under control. I packed a zipper tote full of toys new and old and I didn't have to pull out any "big guns" so far! This will be the hardest trip of the entire journey. On the way home we are more evenly split and we have more time to stop and stretch. I chose to leave around nap time today and B chose this day not to nap. I can't lie, I was concerned, but man was he a trooper! And as a result he passed out around 8:30 and has been snoozing soundly ever since. Hopefully when we get to the hotel he will transfer smoothly.

We are stopping in Savannah, GA. I have been once before, but as K and I were chatting I thought to myself, "why not stop and see some sights?" We wanted to take our time getting back on the road tomorrow so that we were not throwing B directly back into the car seat. I don't want to over use his patience with us, even if it is just 4 hours. So we were tossing ideas out about what we could do and I remember my family and I ate at Paula Deen's Lady and Sons restaurant on our previous visit. So I googled it and sure enough they just changed it so that you can make reservations for small parties online and they had times available! So we are going to spend the morning in downtown Savannah, maybe walk the river walk, and just enjoy a new family spot to mark on our maps! 

This week is going to be one to remember and I'm going to try very hard to document as much as I can, so that I can look back on this and relish in the memories!