First-hand Stories from Marine Corps Boot Camp

/PRNewswire/ -- From the rifle range to the mess hall, the obstacle course to swimming, "A Few Good Memories, Tales of Marine Corps Boot Camp" (published by Trafford Publishing) by Marine Bob Taylor shares more than 400 first-hand stories of Marines and their experience during an amazing time of each of their lives -- boot camp.

"My book is a collection of stories collected through my web site in 1999," Taylor said, who also got a chance to spend two weeks in 2000 at camp at Parris Island. "Over the years, I had read many Marine books - most were of the 'blood and guts' variety. I published the web site and requested first-hand humorous stories about Boot Camp from the Marines who experienced them.

"Hardly two months had passed when I had received over a thousand stories," he added. "I began a difficult selection to filter the best. Most were the humorous type I had envisioned, but a few nostalgic and sad stories made the cut because of their quality - and the balance they provided."

Readers are sure to enjoy the first-hand stories of the men and women of the United States who have volunteered to train to be Marines and defend the country against foreign enemies as well as the highly professional Marine drill instructors, who work day and night to produce the best fighting men and women in the world.

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Children Report Magic Elf Sightings Across the Country!

RJ Note: Santa's elves have been visiting my home in Fayette County for many years. It's always a treat to see when and where the little darlings will show up. Sometimes, it's in the tree, or in a plant, or on top of the furniture. We've even caught one taking a nap in a crystal dish! The magic of the holidays: The magic of love just warms the cockles of my heart.

/PRNewswire/ -- NORTH POLE -- Christmas just got a bit more exciting, this according to children across the country who, until recently, lived daily school-play-sleep routines until frisky Elf Magic elves began "magically" appearing within homes ready to fill their holiday seasons with adventure and love. Certain that the lively Elf visitors are the real thing -- boys and girls know to look for the snowflake over the heart of the authentic Elves, placed there by Santa himself -- Elf-spotting youngsters everywhere have been gleefully preparing family activities that accompany the Elves' visits to their favorite households.

"Every year, Santa finds it in his heart to let more and more of his spirited Elf friends visit families across the world, once they've finished their work at the North Pole -- bringing a genuine warmth and closeness within the home," says Piper Worthington, head elf of Elf Magic. "Easily enticed by crackers and water -- the crackers sound like crunching snow, and the water is melted North Pole Snowflakes, of course -- Elf Magic elves need no excuse to spend the holiday season creating memories with children. This year, in particular, many, many children wrote to Santa asking for a special Elf visitor to brighten their Christmas -- so it's no surprise the mischievous little Elves are magically appearing in record numbers."

Take for instance recent developments at the Weatherly home in Sandy Springs, Ga. Three days before Thanksgiving, everything was as it should be -- Jim, the father, was hard at work at his job as a Realtor. Kelly, the mother, tirelessly balanced the demands of piano lessons, tumbling classes and putting dinner on the table. And 7-year-old Abby rehearsed her lines as the Elf narrator of her school's Christmas play. This until Belle, a real Elf Magic elf sent in response to 4-year-old Julia's heart-melting plea to Santa, arrived on Thanksgiving Day, rested and ready for an entire season's worth of play, learning and excitement. Part of the timeless Christmas tradition, Belle also arrived at the Weatherlys with North Pole Snowflakes, which the girls sprinkle on her nightly to bring the magic Elf to life for a night of adventures and mischief.

"Elf Magic elves are bearers of fantasy, affection and good cheer who, at times, we all wish we could be," Worthington says. "But don't let their charming adolescence fool you for a second. Once the lights go out for the night, these little guys and gals sometimes embark on several hours of daring Elfcapades and bold pranks. Yes, they're darling and mean so well, but to suggest that the Elves don't get bigger than their britches some nights would be a North Pole-sized stretch. To be honest, though, my family wouldn't have it any other way!"

Since the Elf Magic elves return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve with Santa, they rarely catch a wink of sleep plotting the next adventure or activity with their host family. This year, with children reporting sightings of the fanciful Elf visitors in more houses than ever before, families can expect a nonstop stream of laughter, festivity and -- yes, some mischief -- all of which work together to create memories that will last a lifetime.

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Live

Live, as in live your life to its fullest every day. You never know what kind of curve ball life is going to throw. I remember years and years ago hearing my parents talking about some older friends of theirs. This couple had everything planned out. They scrimped and saved so they could live their dream when they retired. They saved every spare penny in order to buy one of those big motor homes. They planned the trips they would take and managed their money so they could live their perfect life. Nothing wrong with having a dream, but “today” didn’t exist for this couple. It was all about the day they retired.

I know you’re expecting to read that one of them died, or one came down with a debilitating illness. Nope, nothing that tragic. But the gas shortage did hit. They couldn’t afford, or find, enough gas to fuel their dream. I don’t know if they ever did get to go tooling around the country as they’d planned. I know they were pretty miserable for at least that period of time.

That conversation I overheard stuck with me. It sparked many thoughts about the balance that’s needed in life to live today fully yet plan for a future. Yes, it’s important to plan for the future ‘cause hopefully you’ll have one. But life doesn’t always let you live out your plans.

I could tell tale after tale of people who were hit with the unexpected. Some were living their life to the fullest and while they may have had some regrets when life dumped on them, they generally accepted the rock thrown through the window of their plans. Others had focused completely on their future leaving behind a long line of “if only’s”.

I remember the young woman I met at a concert whose goal throughout her 30 year life was to be married. She finally found Mr. Right after years and years of searching only to find out within weeks of being married that she had an inoperable brain tumor and had less than six months to live. How much life slipped by her as she focused on a future that had to include a husband? Who knows, we didn’t get that far into her life.

I know way too many people who lived their life for retirement only to die within a few months or come down with some catastrophic illness that sapped their savings or otherwise prevented the attainment of their dream.

It’s important to find the right balance and oft times it’s impossible to find the right balance.

I’ve learned that it’s more important to spend a day with the kids than to update a website. Sure I want to accomplish things. However, when everyone is standing around my coffin someday I seriously doubt they’ll be remembering the times I completed a video or finished a work product… unless it kept me from doing something with them. I don’t want to be remembered for the things I missed.

Likewise, when I’m on my deathbed (yes, the blog has taken on a rather morbid tone hasn’t it?) I doubt I’ll be regretting an unfinished load of clothes that didn’t get washed or a yard that wasn’t mowed or a garage that wasn’t swept or the television program unwatched. Nope, if I’m regretting anything it’ll be the times I didn’t spend with my family and friends.

Again, balance. You have to pay the bills, you have to keep a clean house and neat yard… but not at the expense of a life with real meaning. Life is short and it gets shorter as you’re getting older and looking back on the life you’ve lived.

The older I get the more I realize how fleeting life truly is. Planning ahead is still important to me, but more and more I see just how important it is to build good memories, too. Memories are built on todays, not on tomorrows.