Authors are Blooming all Around

My daughter's B's first grade teacher has published his 2nd book. Its in the stylings of Eragon and other Fantasy Science Fiction Reading. If you want to support a local author, he lives in Colonial Heights, and love to read, please read the description below and if you like, please purchase it through Amazon.com for $10.17

Knight Of The Dove
Publication Date: November 2007 Published By: Kerlak Publishing ISBN: 0-9788777-6-4 ISBN 13: 978-0-9788777-6-7
SynopsisAmaria Eversvale, the Knight of the Dove, is a ruined woman. Once a proud soldier and icon of the Illidor army, her life has been tragically altered forever. In avenging the brutal murder of her husband, she had called upon the dark gods and committed a massacre at Erdoth Fortress. Now a victim of the sinister god's sinister whispers, her life has become a constant struggle to ignore the temptations and promises of evil.Author's NotesStylistically, Knight of the Dove vastly differed from my previous novel, Tower of Ruin (or anything else I’d written before). In an attempt to exercise my creative muscles, so to speak, I approached this story in a manner that proved difficult, but was ultimately quite rewarding. It’s still written in typical 3rd person, but almost the entire script is viewed from a single person's perspective. I intentionally came in thinking this would be an "anti-plot driven" novel, centered exclusively on one character, that being the heroine (though calling her a hero is subjective), Amaria Eversvale. I was reaching for a wistful, almost brooding, atmosphere. I’m quite happy with how it turned out, and wouldn’t change anything. It’ll be interesting to see how the readers respond to it. People might hate it, they might not. In the world of fiction, you just never know . . .Please note that the prequel to this book, the short story “A Dove Before Dawn,” (in the Time Intertwined Anthology) is included at the beginning of the novel as a special addition.
Website design and programming by William A. Kooiker© Copyright 2005-2007

Keep Reading,

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Dads are Important Too!!

I was reading articles on the web as I usually do and found this awesome article written by Roland Martin on CNN on the importance of fathers in black America (his words). This is so dead on.

The article stated that if fathers stepped up tothe plate when they get their girlfriends pregnant and took the responsibility, the jails would be less crowded. He also went on to say that teenagers should be looking at colleges instead of baby names. Unplanned pregnancies happen but we shouldn't shun the girl, congratulate the guy and treat it as a blue ribbon day.

As a mom, I can say that regardless of race, dad's are important. Our children look to dad for play and to see how far they can push the boundary. Daughters will look at their dad and will see what kind of husband they want or don't want based on Dad. Sons look to dad to see what kind of man they want to grow up to be. Sorry mom's but we can't be a dad. We can only do the best that we can because face it, we don't think like boys or men.

Parenting is an equal partnership. It takes two to have a baby and it takes two to raise one. Don't discount dads because they didn't give birth. Their role as provider and leader teaches the children the importance of both sides of parenting. Our children of today are our teenagers of tomorrow and adults of the future. Lets give our kids the chance they need by giving dad the credit he deserves and show the importance of their role.

If you want to read the article, here is the link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/11/roland.martin/index.html

Hope you have an awesome night!!

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Can you truly go Green?

This past week, I have been reading a lot of articles on being green and how we can do some simple things to stay green. It may be simple but I don't believe it will truly happen. If you want to get rid of the green house effect, it will mean you will have to make a real commitment to do it. This is what the scientists are saying:

It seems that divorce is paying a huge part to the green house effect. If no one was divorced in 2006, there would be 1 million less houses which would mean a decrease in trash pick up, use of electricity, less gas being used in cars. Can people go back to the era of no divorce. That would be awesome and you would be helping the environment. I do believe in divorce where physical abuse occurs but because you changed your mind about being married because it got hard is now unacceptable. We need to save the environment. So remember the original "I do" means forever.

The second thing we need to do is not pass gas. It seems that humans, pigs, cows and sheep produce so much methane gas that it is causing the green house effect. The Netherlands produce 50% more methane gas than anywhere else in the world. So say good bye to Mexican Food and other foods that cause the production of the passage of gas or you can buy an over the counter product like Beano. The kangaroo on the other hand does not produce methane gas so they don't need to modify their eating habits. So invest in Beano or another over the counter medicine that stops gas passage. Remember to be like Roo.

So remember, if you want to help the environment, stay married and don't pass gas. Sorry husbands, but when you pass that gas under the blanket and then barricade your wife under the covers so she can get the full effect, this is counter productive to having a green environment.

Have a great weekend.

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I went to a Birthday Party and the Guest of Honor was Ignored

I go to this birthday party every year and I wonder why people who come ignore the guest of honor. They don't wish him a Happy Birthday. People always say it was the best party of the year and what a great way to be with friends but they ignore the Guest of Honor. It truly upsets me when I see this happen so I decided to post about it to get some feed back.

Every year, people anticipate this birthday party and buy all sorts of gifts and take up the stores Christmas sales. How would you feel if people who loved you and knew it was your birthday and instead of saying Happy Birthday (insert your name), they would simply say Happy Friday or whatever the day of the week it was? People who didn't like you came by anyway just to see what was going on but didn't speak to you or accept you. How would you feel?

If you haven't guessed it, I am talking about Christmas. This is the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Its HIS birthday. Do you say Happy Birthday Jesus on Christmas Day? During this Christmas Season, do you say "Merry Christmas" or do you take Christ out His day and say "Happy Holidays"?

If you don't believe in Christ, why do you celebrate it? I'm curious to know. It doesn't matter to Jesus, he loves you no matter what but it hurts Him to know that you reject him.

Please remember that Christmas is the time of year to Celebrate Jesus' birthday but its also a time when the world can start with a fresh beginning and we can hope for better days ahead.

Merry Christmas and please remember the true meaning of Christmas.

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Lessons Learned as a Wife

We've been married almost eight years so we have passed the proverbial seven year itch. However, I must say that I myself usually got the itch to leave about once a year. Usually due to a nuclear catastrophe that seems to appear yearly in our marriage. However, I remember the things that I learned and stay in for the fight. This is what I have learned:

Husbands don't change their spots. When we were dating my husband had the same flaws that he has now. I chose to ignore them or thought that I could fix them. The flaws are a part of who he is so I just pray about whatever it is that he is doing that I find annoying. I can even pray out loud for the world to hear if I want to.

I am not perfect. I also have my flaws and imperfections. I didn't marry a "yes dear". I married a person and when my ugly shortcomings arise, I hope he prays for me. I have to remember that I am only one person and I cannot do it all or have it all.

When I said I do, it was a Commitment. I made a commitment for better or worse, sickness and in health. This also includes patience, understanding and kindness which I seem to run short of during times of getting ready for work and putting kids to bed. So when my husband disappoints me or hurts my feelings, I will be there for the long haul by forgiving him. True forgiveness never brings it up again and moves on. You don't forget it, you just ignore it.

Just because your married, it doesn't mean the pursuit stops. We have a monthly date night. During the date night, we don't discuss work or children. We actually try to stay connected as a couple so when the kids grow up, I won't wake up and say, Hello. Who are YOU??. Keep talking and its ok to have different opinions and a good debate.

Sex shouldn't be a reward. It should be about romance. Sex should never be about winning a bet. When it becomes a type of reward, it removes the wanting to over to the "have to" side of life. Sex should always stay in the want column.

Its o.k. to have a girls night out or a guys night out. Its important to stay connected to your friends and to have fun with them. Friends should be yours, mine and ours. Trust is what keeps you together and your friends keep you grounded. My friends knew me before I was a mom so they remind me of who I was when I get too judgemental of others.

Most of all, Love should be patient, kind, and understanding especially when you're blogging and you are interrupted by your loving husband who wants to talk about the football game with all the trimmings. Just smile and say that's great. I'm glad you had a good time.

In the eight years that we've been married this is what I have learned. I hope to learn more but more especially, I hope to beat the odds and be married to one guy for hundred years.

Have a great night.

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Wisdom of a 9 year old

When I was in my daughters' room tonight, I came across this carefully folded piece of paper. On it was written 3 things on Love:

1. Love is a Miracle

2. Love is Important

3. Love is a wonderful thing

Wow! Don't we usually take the ones we love for granted. I know I do. I will take B's advice and remember the three things of love.

Here's to love.


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Special Needs Kids get Robots to Drive

I was watching Art Fennell tonight and they were speaking of the latest developments for special needs kids. Having a child that didn't walk until he was 3 and being mobility impaired his entire life, it is with such awesome excitement that I learned what the University of Delaware has developed.

The focus of this important and innovative research being conducted at the University of Delaware that could have significant repercussions for the cognitive development of infants with special needs. The University is seeking candidates to use this innovative equipment which is a blessing to those parents who want their children to be independent.

Here is the article that is located on the University of Delaware Website:
"Two UD researchers--James C. (Cole) Galloway, associate professor of physical therapy, and Sunil Agrawal, professor of mechanical engineering--have outfitted kid-size robots to provide mobility to children who are unable to fully explore the world on their own.
The work is important because much of infant development, both of the brain and behavior, emerges from the thousands of experiences each day that arise as babies independently move and explore their world. This is the concept of “embodied development,” Galloway said.
Infants with Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other disorders can have mobility limitations that disconnect them from the ongoing exploration that their peers enjoy.
“If these infants were adults, therapists would have options of assistive technology such as power wheelchairs,” Galloway said. “Currently, children with significant mobility impairments are not offered power mobility until they are 5-6 years of age, or older. This delay in mobility is particularly disturbing when you consider the rapid brain development during infancy. Their actions, feelings and thinking all shape their own brain's development. Babies literally build their own brains through their exploration and learning in the complex world.”
When a baby starts crawling and walking, everything changes for everyone involved. “Now consider the negative impact of a half decade of immobility for an infant with already delayed development,” Galloway said. “When a baby doesn't crawl or walk, everything also changes. Immobility changes the infant, and the family. Given the need, you would think that the barriers to providing power mobility must be insurmountable. In fact, the primary barrier is safety.” Therapists and parents fear a young child in a power wheelchair might mistakenly go the wrong way, end up in a roadway and get hit by a car.
“This is, of course, understandable, and is the same fear that every parent with a newly walking infant faces. It is the solution to the safety problem that is the real barrier. The current clinical practice is to avoid power mobility until the child can follow adult commands,” Galloway said. “Your parents didn't wait until you followed their every command before they let you walk--they held your hand, they required you to stay near them and alerted you to obstacles in your way. This is the way infants learn real world navigation, and it is exactly these safety features that are being built into our mobile robot.”
“Our first prototype, affectionately called UD1, was designed with smart technology that addresses each of these safety issues so that infants have the opportunity to be a part of the real world environment,” Agrawal said.

UD1 robot developers (from left) Sunil Agrawal, professor of mechanical engineering, James (Cole) Galloway, associate professor of physical therapy, and Ji-Chul Ryu, a doctoral candidate in UD’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.The tiny robot is ringed with sensors that can determine the obstacle-free roaming space, and will either allow infants to bump obstacles or will take control from the infant and drive around the obstacle itself. The next prototype, UD2, will build on the current technology to provide additional control to a parent, teacher or other supervising adult.
“In this way, we can bind technology and human need together to remove barriers for movement in the environment,” Agrawal said.
Galloway said no one had ever tried using robots with babies--early experiments show that seven-month-olds can learn to operate the simple joystick controls--and he is passionate about the possible benefits to children with special needs of even younger ages.
“Infants with limited mobility play in one location while their peers or siblings go off on distant adventures all over the room or playground,” Galloway said. “With the robot, they become the center of attention because their classmates want to try it. We predict that this increased social interaction alone will provide an important boost in their cognitive development.”
The idea sprang from a parking lot conversation in which Agrawal approached Galloway, who he knew worked with babies with special needs, and said he might have developed something of interest. Agrawal is a robotics expert who had been developing a fleet of small, rounded robots that could work as a unit through a wireless network.
Galloway knew of Agrawal's successes with rehabilitation robotics for adults but admitted to being anti-robot for pediatric rehabilitation at first. Galloway was convinced otherwise within minutes of his first visit to Agrawal's laboratory. “When I saw his little robots, it was easy to envision a baby driving one,” he said. “We knew from our previous work that newly reaching infants could use a joystick to control a distant toy. This and other research strongly suggests that very young infants can be trained in real world navigation. It was a special feeling to see a potential solution to a really serious health-care gap for young kids. There was and still is a special tingle when we think of the not so distant future. “
Thus, UD1 was born. The researchers took their robot to the UD Early Learning Center, which has a wide range of infants, a gymnasium for initial training on the robot and a varied outdoor landscape to use as a test track.
“It was a relief when we saw that the children quickly grasped the use of the joystick,” Agrawal said. “If they had just sat there or cried, it would have been back to the drawing board. But over time we have seen them gradually increase their time with the robot and the amount of distance they cover.”

The tiny robot is ringed with sensors that can determine the obstacle-free roaming space, and will either allow infants to bump obstacles or will take control from the infant and drive around the obstacle itself.The project will now move on to a second generation with more than one robot. The goal is to place multiple mobile robots with special needs infants in communities throughout Delaware and to gather data to analyze how they are used and what the children learn so that the research team can continue to make modifications.
Both note that Delaware, with its mix of urban, rural and suburban communities, is a model state for a clinical project such as this. “For a real world mobility device to emerge, we have to build it for exploring the real world experienced by infants and their families, and then rigorously study its performance in that world,” Galloway said.
Both said the project will significantly expand understanding of young infants' learning capacity and provide a model for tracking the development of real world exploration with laboratory quality data.
They believe the training, robot design and new technology derived from the project will provide the foundation for the first generation of safe, smart vehicles for infants born with mobility impairments.
They want the UD1 product to be light enough for moms to stow in a car trunk, and robust enough for babies to use in the home, yard and playground, and maybe even the beach.
This interdisciplinary project is bringing together students and researchers from fields that have had little or no interaction: engineering, early childhood education and pediatric therapy.
“The research, educational and health care impact is hard to overestimate, given the critical nature of early development, the relatively short time to prepare special needs infants to enter mainstream education and the complete lack of power mobility early in life,” Galloway said. “This project has so many positives, and is of interest to so many in the community. We are encouraging everyone interested in special needs infants to get involved--from parents to policymakers. We are thinking locally and globally at the same time.”
He added, “Although there are special needs kids in every community, you have never seen a special needs child driving themselves down Main Street in Newark, and neither has anyone else in any community anywhere. They, and often their families, are hidden citizens. We predict that very soon that will change in Newark, and then across Delaware, and then who knows. But time is of the essence because there is a baby being born right now who could use this today. That is the race we are in, so back to work.”

The UD1 robot is being developed to be light enough for moms to stow in a car trunk, and robust enough for babies to use in the home, yard and playground.Agrawal, who directs the UD robotics laboratory, received his doctorate in mechanical engineering in 1990 from Stanford University, where he was a research assistant in the university's robotics laboratory. He taught and conducted research at Ohio University from 1990 until 1996, when he joined the UD faculty. He received his bachelor's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur and his master's degree from Ohio State University.
Galloway, who directs the UD Infant Motor Behavior Laboratory, received his doctorate in physiological sciences from the University of Arizona in 1998 and joined the UD faculty in 2000. He received bachelor's degrees in exercise science and biology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1987 and in physical therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1989.
Providing important technical support to the project is Ji-Chul Ryu, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering with expertise in the planning and control of mobile robots.
The UD Early Learning Center is a focal point for interdisciplinary research on early learning and development, prevention, intervention and education. It provides exemplary infant, toddler, preschool and kindergarten care to a diverse population of approximately 180 children, specifically targeting children with risk factors including poverty, foster care and disabilities. ELC is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a recognition awarded to only 5-7 percent of all child care centers nationwide. The center, which is part of the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy, received the Governor's Award of Excellence in Early Care and Education in 2006.
Article by Neil ThomasPhotos by Kathy F. Atkinson "

Thank you University of Delaware for helping our children assimilate better in our communities.

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Redskins Lost, 911 called and Crabs in FEMA Trailer

And that's how our Sunday ended. The Redskins lost a close game. Dallas actually earned the win as the Skins did give it their all. Shortly after the game, we had to call 911 as my husband injured his hand while doing a "honey do" list item. The crabs are in a FEMA Container as they lost their home due to the accident.

I had asked my husband to dump the sand out of the terranium so we can put in fresh sand and make the crabs happy as they have been kind of crabbie (no pun intended). While dumping the sand, he lost control of the terranium and it cut his hand. He came into the house saying "Help me, I'm bleeding". It was a mess. I couldn't tell where the cut was and Chris couldn't elaborate so I called 911. The ambulance came along with a Police Officer. The Officer showed up to make sure that I didn't do willful harm to him or he didn't try to kill himself. I told the Officer that the Redskins had lost but it wasn't worth dying over. He saw Chris and said "Hey aren't you K's dad?" You gotta love a small town. Anyway, once he verified that this was indeed an accident, he went off his merry way. The ambulance bandaged him up and off they went. Since the ambulance was there, we had one spectator and he was wearing Dallas from head to toe. I guess he wanted to make sure that it wasn't a game related injury.

The crabs lost their home so they are in a temporary container without food or water. They should be fine for today. We are getting a bigger and better home for them. Hopefully, they will enjoy their new digs since we are responding quicker than the big guys.

Chris went to Patient First and got his tetanus shot and was reprimanded for not getting stitches. The doctor loved my wrapping job since I had to rewrap his wound after putting peroxide on hit. Needless to say the One Handed Chris needs to make friends real soon so he can go to the restroom. He also golfless for awhile.

So that is how our weekend ended. Hope you had a great weekend.

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Women don't have rights in Saudi Arabia

I was reading CNN this morning before church and came across an article regarding a rape victim in Saudia Arabia is being punished by 200 lashes and 6 months in jail. It seems the 19 year old female met with a male without an escort. Both of them were abducted and raped. The male rape victim isn't getting in sort of punishment because after all he is a male.

Her lawyer now has been barred from representing her because her case has gone public in an attempt to influence the judiciary process. As the rapists prison center increases so does the female victim.

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/11/17/saudi.rape.victim/index.html

You thought the US has issues. Saudi Arabia is supposedly one of our allies but you don't hear much about how they treat their female citizens. What are your thoughts?

Happy Sunday!
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New Zealand doesn't allow FAT IMMIGRANTS!

I was reading Fox News tonight and came across an article where a U.K. couple were seeking residency in New Zealand and the Immigration department denied the wife entry as she was overweight. It seems that their government funded healthcare system can't afford it.

Here is the link:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312056,00.html

With all of the discussion regarding immigration reform and universal healthcare, could we be heading toward the New Zealand way of thinking? My stance is clear on universal health care, we shouldn't do it as this will increase our taxes even more than what we pay and will have to wait months to see a doctor or worse yet have to travel out of our way to get medical treatment.

I, however, like the fact that New Zealand has an enforceable immigration law where we can't even protect our borders. What are your thoughts? Do you want to live the New Zealand Way??

BROWNIE TURF WARS!!!

I have been told by my daughter's school teacher that a Brownie Turf War has formed in her classroom. It seems that K and her troop mate M have engaged in a bit of brownie turfdom with 2 other girls in her classroom from another troop. School yard fights now have a new twist.

When Ms. R asked for Brownies to line up, it appears that the other troop insisted that K and M were not Brownies but imitators as they were not a part of their troop. K and M not taking this too kindly told them they were in a Brownie Troop and K said my Mom's the Leader. The argument according to K went something like: Other troop, "My troop is better than your troop". "K and M's response was "My troop is doing Friends are Fun Badge and Yours isn't...NANANANA BOO BOO to YOU!!" The 4 girls are not speaking but giving each other the "look".

Who would have thought that being a Brownie would be like this. I reminded my troop that the Girl Scout Law says that we are sisters to every girl scout so we should always try and get along with them and not engage in turf wars. My troop agreed so we will have to wait to see what happens on World Thinking Day in February or closer still the Christmas Parade.

If you see on TV where Brownie troops were engaged in troop fighting, you knew about it first as you heard it here in the land of Blog. Just so you know Brownies are 1st and 2nd graders so we are not talking middle schoolers.

Hope you have a great night!!

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When Acorns Attack!!!

My house has turned into a war zone thanks to the Oak trees and the falling acorns. If you like being pummeled by marble size acorns and walking on acorn marbles, then my house is the place to be.

We love the fall. The leaves change color and the air smells fresh and crisp. We don't love acorns. We have 2 huge Oak trees that shade the front of the house. Its wonderful during the summer time. But during the fall of acorns, we are now required to make a dash.

Acorns fall continuously and you can hear them hit the roof of the house. Its sounds like sleet. The front yard is covered in acorns. When you walk on them, it feels like walking on marbles or worse yet ice. As you strive to keep your balance walking to your car, it is raining acorns. Acorns falling on your head hurts. If you enjoy being pummelled by marbles, rocks and hail, then you would love the feel of the acorns.

The squirrels are smart as they travel from branch to branch avoiding the rain of acorns. I think secretly, this is their way of getting revenge on us for taking back our attic. You know how possessive squirrels can be. Last year they would peer through our bedroom window and give us that look of "You just wait!!"

My truck has dings on it caused by acorns. I don't have acorn coverage on the insurance so I guess I will have to live with acorn dings. Who would have thought acorns would be considered a deadly weapon. So beware when the acorns attack your house.

I hope you have a great night. I am off to sleep to the sound of acorns hitting my roof.

Take Care,
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Colonial Heights Gets it Right In Education

Tonight was the 2nd Annual All A Recognition to all of the students who had an all A average in school for last year. Our oldest daughter has made both Recognitions. I think Colonial Heights has a lot of issues just like every where else but where we excel at is recognizing the importance of hard work and giving great award.

The award was a wrist watch. The face of the watch says Colonial Heights All A Award 2007. What a cool thing to give someone as recognition for the time that was spent in doing homework and studying for tests. The Award Ceremony is possible because of the Education Foundation which raises money all year round. We also receive donations from local businesses as well as individuals. Through a group effort, Colonial Heights is able to hold this award ceremony.

There were 479 students recognized from 5 schools. The breakdown is Colonial Heights High School, Colonial Heights Middle School, Lakeview Elementary, North Elementary and Tussing Elementary. The whole ceremony started promptly at 7 and was over by 8:10pm. We stayed for the refreshments and we were on our way home by 8:15pm. It went by efficiently and everyone had a great time.

The one thing that I did notice was that the high schoolers were dressed casual as though this was no big deal. The middle schoolers were dressed in sunday casual. The elementary students would win best dressed as they were dressed to the nines with one wearing a full on suit with tie. Its interesting how the perception of the award as it relates to the students age. B wanted to wear her Christmas dress but I was able to persuade her to save it for her holiday dance at school and she should wear the other dress we purchased that is reminiscent of the 1960s.

All the students were proud as peacocks and I can't wait until the pictures are available for purchase. As I said, Colonial Heights has its problems but when it comes to education they do excel.

PROPS TO COLONIAL HEIGHTS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM!!!

Have a great night!!

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I am so Confused

I am so confused on how this blogging works. Yesterday, I was skimming posts and saw a post from the editor to the Richmond Music Journal. She married the son (Bobby) of a great friend of my (Saundra). I left a comment on her blog. Did all of the steps including the keying in the crazy confirmation thing you do. I went back to her blog last night to see if she had responded to what I had written. My comment wasn't there. It was like it never happened.

Last night I started writing my blog and had to save it. My husband hops on the computer and whips out something to write about and posts it. I go back to my writing and post after him but it appears on RVA Blogs as though I had posted way ahead of him. My post appears on the 2nd page instead of the first. I don't understand.

Today at work, I stayed a few minutes late to leave a comment on a fellow bloggers writing "Godless and Proud of It". I left a lengthy comment and went back into it tonight to see if he had a response. Guess What!! No Comments. What is going on....

Am I not doing something right or is this like HEROES where I am locked in my own nightmare. Can't get it to post right.

ARRRGGGGHH!! Please help me by telling me what in the world is going on.. Why won't my comments stay??? Am I that boring or worse yet too controversial for the world?

Your enlightenment would be of great help!!

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This Article Broke My heart on so many levels

I was reading online articles on MSN, Fox News and CNN. I came across an article regarding a girl who was a conjoined twin and one of the twins died. This little girl was born with 4 arms and 4 legs but that's not why my heart broke.

My heart broke because the village where this little girl was born in India thought of this little girl as sacred and did not support the family's wishes to let the 2 year old have surgery to remove the extra limbs. It also broke my heart that in India, the family only makes a $1 a day and couldn't afford the surgery. She is getting the surgery because of the hospital's foundation.

The village is going to build a temple so they can worship her. She is a little girl. She is not God. It saddens me that this little girl who deserves a normal happy life will be looked upon as a God and not the child she is.

It also brings to light how we take things for granted. We have Hollywood writers going on strike for more money. We complain when we have to pay bills and when we can't get a day off of work. We don't consider that we are rich compared to 2/3 of the world. Even our poorest in the United States are richer than people in 3rd world countries.

Here is the link to the CNN story in case you would like to learn more.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/11/06/india.girl/index.html

I hope you have a great night and remember that you are wealthy beyond your dreams.

May God Bless You,

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Sheetz is NOT Family Friendly

My daughters play Soccer so on a Saturday morning, we stop at Sheetz to pick up a snack and water before my 7 year old's soccer game. The magazine rack is next to the snack aisle and displayed prominently on the upper rack (all 3 rows) were adult magazines. I am talking Playboy, Vixen, Nude of the Year along with the Hunting magazines. The adult oriented magazines ( I call it PORN) were in clear plastic wrap and displayed so my daughter could see it with ease.

I wrote to the corporate office describing what I saw and how dismayed that I was at the "family friendly" atmosphere wasn't so family friendly. Here is the response I got from my email concerning this issue:

"Thank you for your recent email concerning Adult Magazines. We always appreciate our customers taking the time to talk to us. While we understand that you may not care to read some of the magazines we sell, it is important you know that Sheetz does not sell pornography. The adult magazines we sell are not pornographic, as this is illegal. Understand Sheetz is committed to being a responsible retailer. Not only do we abide by the law, we take many extra steps to address the concerns you have about products ending up in the wrong hands. We have taken the utmost care with how magazines are displayed, being sensitive to the fact that families shop in our stores. We require adult magazines to be sealed in a plastic bag with only the title exposed. We also display the magazines only on the highest shelves, in the back, to limit viewing to adults only. We also restrict the sale of adult magazines to customers over the age of 18, and require identification at the point of sale to ensure the age restriction is not violated. We are in the business of providing all our customers with the kinds of quality products and services that they are looking for. It is not our intention to offend any of our customers.
Thank You,

Jim Coleman"

According to Sheetz Playboy, Hustler, Vixen are not pornography. I'm sorry but if you have to be 18 to buy a magazine because it has naked women or men then to me its pornography.

My children and I will now go to WAWA or any number of other gas stations in our area. If you don't mind your children seeing these types of magazines prominently displayed then you should go to sheetz, but, if you agree with me, please take a stand as a parent.

Hope you have a great evening!!

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Richmond is a dark place (Literally)

After a year of watching Miami Ink, I decided that for my husband's and my date night we would go to high end tattoo parlors. I have had friends get work done and he is thinking of getting another one. So after dinner at Sage Brush, we went to downtown Richmond.

We entered Richmond from 95 at MCV Hospitals and travelled west on Broad. It was pitch black. There weren't any street lights. I was excited to see a Cold Stone Brewery and several other chain restaurants. When I attended VCU, my mother worked at Pizzini Poster and Printing beside Capital Garage. All that now belongs to VCU. There are loft apartments on the second floor and businesses on the first. Pretty cool. People were out but not to do any type of walking around because there were not any Street Lights. They were double parking there cars and running in and getting what they wanted and coming right back out due to the lack of light.

WHY????? Has Mayor Wilder gone on such a spending spree that he forgot to pay the electric bill. The new street lights are pretty but don't put out any to no light. Richmond is supposed to be revitalizing. How can you capitalize on the new businesses on a weekend night if you don't provide lighted areas for the people to feel safe. I don't get it.

Anyway, we went to 2 tattoo parlors (Red Dragon and River Tattoo). I was not impressed with Red Dragon. They were playing head banging extra loud music. They only had flashes to display and the customer service was not personable.

We went to River City Tattoo next. I loved this place. Not only did you have to get buzzed in but they had the tattoo artists portfolio for you to look through. They also weren't playing any headbanging music and it felt more like a cool place to hang out versus a get in and get out kind of establishment. The artwork was also very good and it left a confident feeling that you would get quality art for your money.

I hope you all had a great weekend and if you get a chance, drive through Richmond on Broad Street at night and see the darkness. It's as scary as any halloween movie.

Take Care,
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The Golden Compass is not for my kids!!

You may already know about this, but I just learned about a kids movie coming out in December starring Nicole Kidman. It's called The Golden Compass, and while it will be a watered down version, it is based on a series of children's books about killing God (It is the anti-Narnia). From what I understand, the hope is to get alot of kids to see the movie - which won't seem too bad - and then get the parents to buy the books for their kids for Christmas. The quotes from the author sum it all up.

The author is an avowed atheist. His name is Philip Pullman and there are many quotes on the web regarding his anti christian and anti God beliefs. I usually don't condemn movies until I get the whole story. I went to snopes and it is true that the hope is for kids parents to purchase the book and support his anti christian agenda.

http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

I can't control what people say or do. I can, however, control how I spend my money. I won't support this movie even though it looks pretty good because of the message it sends. I also don't watch any movies that Ian McKellan is in since he announced that the Bible was fiction. I hate to see Nicole Kidman in this kind of movie but sometimes we have to take a stand for the better good.

I hope that you will make a wise choice in your movie selections but as for me and my family, this is one movie that we won't see or add to our movie collection.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Saturday, November 3rd Goodwill To Others Day!

In case you didn't know, tomorrow is good will to others. If you want to clean out your closets and do your community good, November 3rd is the day.

The Girl Scouts will be at the area Goodwill Stores during the month of November accepting donations. For every pound, the Goodwill Stores will donate 10 cents to families in need through a voucher system. The families can redeem the vouchers for goods that we take for granted on a daily basis like clothes and household items.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Life is getting busier with soccer, scouts, school, work and church, blogging seems to have become a luxury.

Take Care and get those closets cleaned out. It will do your community good.

God Bless!!

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Paper - The New Ear Plug

I called home on Friday and my mom answers the phone oh so sweetly, "I am so glad that you called". Now, when she answers the phone like that, I know to take a breath and ask Why?

She then starts to tell me that K came home from school crying that her ear hurt. When she digs and pries into K, she discovers that K thought the bus was too loud so she shoved some tissue paper in her ear to cut out the noise.

The tissue paper was stuck in her ear so I called Chester Peds and the Nurse Practitioner says to put water in her ear to get the paper to swell to see if we can get it out with tweezers. If we can't call them in the morning and they would see her. When I called an hour later, the paper was out and K was in a good mood.

Saturday is Soccer Day in our household until 11/10. K has a 10am game and she says she is fine. Plays soccer and after the game says her ear is starting to hurt. She continues to play throughout the day and stops and says it hurts. We call Chester Peds again.

The Nurse On call asks if there is more paper in the ear and we said no. She calls in numbing drops. My mom gets a flashlight and looks in K's ears and wouldn't you know there is more paper. We call back the On-Call Nurse and she says we can go to CJW. I want to go to St. Francis. She insists on CJW.

We get to CJW at 6pm and we see the Nurse Practitioner at 8pm. They dig in her ear for 15 minutes with a tool too big for her ear and she can't hold the light in the ear to see where to get it out. K starts screaming and bellowing in pain. Chris has a hard time handling this and the nurse wants us out of the room. Chris said no way.

The nurse brings back Dr. POMPOUS. (Not a real name but a real attitude). He asks K how old she is and she says 6. He asks her why does she cry like a 3 year old. He then pulls out a tiny pair of tweezers and the nurses exclaim that they didn't know they made them that small. He is able to hold the light and use the tweezers at the same time and pulls out not a piece of tissue paper but a piece of plastic paper. Similar to a candy wrapper. K is happy and we are relieved until the doctor comes back with a little sign and tapes it on K saying that "I am 3 years old".

I am not happy about Dr. POMPOUS. I want to complain to the administrator but Chris feels its best to let it go as he did calm K down and get the paper out.

So since K has done the scientific testing for paper as the new ear plug, the results are paper is definitely not the way to go as ear plugs.

Hope your weekend was great.

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Time Touches More Gently Here - Boston

The Swan Boats in Boston Common

On my second day in Boston, I realize its 9/11. I didn't realize, however, that 2 of the planes that crashed came from Logan Airport and therefore a lot of the tourist attractions were closed in remembrance of this tragedy. It then decided to rain at 11am for the rest of the day. I stayed inside of the hotel and slept and dried off as I didn't bring any fall clothing or rain gear. Next time, I will. On Wednesday, Chris and I went to Boston Commons and there, we found the memorial garden commemorating the victims of 9/11. These are the two pictures that I took of the memorial garden. My husband thought that it was disrespectful of me to take the pictures but I wanted to take them so I will not forget that Boston was as deeply affected by this tragedy as New York.

The inscription in the circle in the second picture and seen in the third picture reads as follows:

"Time touches all more gently here,

here is where man has said, "No:

trees, grass and flowers will remain;

where the first-born sometimes sees

his father's father's eyes

reflected in the shallow pool;

feels an ancient heart beat

in the palm of his hand

pressed against a willow;

and seeking comfort and seeking shade

lies beneath the golden leaf elm

watching swan boats glide in season.

From the Boston & Sea Poems by

Lawrence Homer

Poet Laureate - Faneuil Hall

Chris and I did take a ride on the Swan Boats in Boston Common and it was such a peaceful ride. Boston and I will always remember as will the rest of the Nation.

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New England Aquarium - Boston

Jelly Fist Exhibit.
70 year old Turtle
Penguins

The New England Aquarium is run by volunteers. The first thing the volunteers learn is how to feed the penguins and then as they become accustomed to the habitat, the volunteers can move up in position to host information seminars on the exhibits and work in the sick ward of the aquarium.

The aquarium recycles the water from the Boston Harbor and pumps back out the water. This is environmentally sound and is more healthier for the animals. The cost to get into the aquarium is $18 and the gift shop is reasonable and is pretty awesome. I picked up my souvenir (a magnet) and the girls got bracelets.

If you are ever in Boston, you should go to the New England Aquarium as it has a lot to offer and you will be amazed at how many exhibits are there.

I went to Boston and got a FREE HUG!!!

We had to catch a flight that left at 6:40am in the morning to Boston. I broke the cardinal rule of flying as I had placed a medium size bottle of my favorite perfume in my purse. Its not allowed unless its in a zip lock bag. My husband spent a whole quarter at the airport so I could keep my perfume. Thank you Al Queda for allowing zip lock to stay in business.

Chris had to spend the day in the hotel, the Fairmont Copley doing business. I went to see the area. First stop, Boston Harbor. I wanted to catch a ferry to go see Fort Warren out on St. Georges island but due to an impending storm, all ferries were cancelled. Since I was at the harbor, I ate at Joes. A wonderful American restaurant that served great food. I had the steak sandwich that would feed 2 people. I was treated nicely and was pleasantly surprised to find out that all restaurants serve ice tea unsweetened. I was in heaven. I love unsweetened ice tea. Could Boston be the Nirvanna for unsweet tea drinkers??

The New England Aquarium was at the harbor so I visited it. It was awesome. They had the first multi level tank on the East Coast. Picture a soup can that is 3 stories in height. It houses several native sea creatures including a sea turtle reaching the age of 70. He was huge. I will post some pictures from the aquarium in another blog. I spent the whole day at the aquarium.

I took the T back to the hotel. The T is the local subway. Boston had the first subway station and it is in the process of being rehabbed. Who knew that Boston was the first. Anyway, on the way walking back to the hotel, I saw these 2 girls holding a "FREE HUGS" sign. People were looking and smiling and taking pictures. I asked why they were giving free hugs away. It was national hug day. WOO HOO. I told them I could always use a hug so I took their picture and in return, I received 2 strong hugs. They were excited as I was the first hug.

Boston may have been the first to get the subway, but I was the first to get a free hug on National Hug Day in Boston.

Hug someone in honor of National Hug Day.

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I AM ALIVE

Contrary to popular belief, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I, did however, get to go to Boston and fell in love with my SIMS 2 game which I have been playing into the wee hours of the night and therefore not blogging.

I have decided to break my obsession of playing SIMS 2 and get back into the real world of blogging. I will follow up with my Boston trip and confirm to the VIEW Watchers that the world is indeed round.


See you in the Posts...


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Today was Poopy Day

As I usually do, I called home to check on the kids to see how their last week of summer vacation was going. As soon as my son pushed the speaker phone button, my 6 year old said that "Today is poopy day". I asked her why and what follows is a recap of the events.

I asked why today was poopy day and K went on to explain. C pooped in his pullup and decided he didn't like the feeling of it so he pulled it out of his pants and placed it on the floor. Where my mother was at the time is a mystery. When the poop hit the floor, my 8 year old was going to the bathroom and didn't see it so she stepped in it. When she saw what she stepped in, she thought our dog, Sasha, had an accident. My mom comes to the rescue with B and sees C's hands covered in poop which has now smeared on the floor and on him. Mom gets everyone cleaned up.

I started laughing as K was the true reporter by letting me know that she only saw what happened and didn't get any poop on her. B said it was gross and K said that today is now known as "Poopy Day".

In all of the conversations that I have had with my kids and imagined to have with my kids, this one wasn't even on the map.

Hope you had a good day.

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Here's the latest scoop on Michael Vick

Here's the latest..

It doesn't look too good...

Have a great weekend!!

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My girls saw a ding dong!!!

When I am at work, I will call home to see what the gang is up to and to talk to them on the speaker phone. Our son has mastered pushing the speaker phone button. When I asked what they were doing, our 6 year started speaking very quickly and excitedly that she saw a boy's ding dong!! I asked my mother what were they doing?

She stated that they were watching the Once Upon A Potty for Him video so C would understand about going potty. The video shows a little boy doing all of the potty business. I explained that it was aimed a little boys and since they were girls, you have different parts which they already knew. I guess they didn't think about the potty issue. This was my first conversation with them and I guess it could be catergorized as a "sex talk".

C thought the video was gross and mom said that he was placed on the potty several times and still nothing as been deposited.

In all of my thoughts regarding conversations with my children, I never thought I would hear that my daughters saw a ding dong.

Hope your Tuesday was as just as eventful as this.

My son helps me diet

I was running late today as my coworkers and I were having a discussion regarding the NAACP and Michael Vick. We couldn't believe the stance of the NAACP. The group consisted of 2 caucasion, 1 african american and 1 puerto rican. All women, so needless to say, I left work late.

When I got home, dinner was ready and I was hungry so I fixed my plate which was filled with turkey loin and macaroni and cheese. The kids had already eaten as we thought they would have church tonight but it was cancelled. So I am eating in the living room and trying to finish my book when the kids come bounding in with McDonald cookies. My 4 year old son sees me and comes over to me. He starts eating my dinner. I asked him if he ate dinner and he said yes. He loves macaroni and cheese and the next thing I know, his hands are in my food eating. I started alternating giving him a forkful and then me so his hands would stay off of my plate.

Macaroni and cheese was demolished in no time. So I start eating my turkey. The next thing I know he is opening his mouth and saying "PEASE". Again, I alternate feeding him and myself. With his help, I ate 1/2 my dinner and decided that this was his way of watching how much I ate. Once the food was gone, it was time for C to get ready for bed so off to the tub he went and off to the kitchen I went to get a cookie.

I guess I deserve not getting to eat my dinner as I was running late. When we eat together as a family, I have a 80% chance of eating my dinner without C helping me finish. I will keep you posted on how my new diet comes along. Maybe I could market this type of diet plan with Disney. They turned a $4 million dollar movie into a $2 billion profit.

Have a great night!

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Karma is a wonderful thing!!

Today started out rather rough as I told my husband to "drop dead" this morning as he started off my day with a conversation rather than "Good Morning". I am not a morning person so asking me to make decisions or to have a discussion before I have even opened my eyes is not a good thing but good things have happened this week. Today, we received a second blessing which is awesome.

The first blessing that we had was C has season tickets to the Redskins and he gave 4 of the preseason tickets to his friend G. We had to FED EX them Thursday so G would get them Friday for Saturdays game. G's mother in law is a big Steelers fan and she is battling breast cancer so Chris sent them. Chris loves tracking items so when he discovered that the tickets shipped from Midlothian had been lost in Ashland and were supposed to be arriving in Maidens, he wasn't happy. He called FED EX who said that they would have to see what happens and couldn't do anything until Monday. Chris called FED EX field and had them reprint the tickets for G. Monday, Chris calls FED EX and FED EX is reimbursing Chris the cost of the tickets plus shipping. So in a week, we should receive about $190. We didn't put a value on the shipment but since Chris could prove the cost of the tickets, FED EX is reimbursing him. So WOOO HOOO, we have extra money coming to us. This is how God blesses us. We give without regret and receive with appreciation and gratitude.

The second blessing we received was today. C was fitted for his leg braces a few weeks ago and we will pick them up this Friday. When Chris changed jobs, we changed insurance coverage so we weren't sure what our out of pocket expense would be. Our out of pocket expenses usually are around $350. C has had leg braces since he was 6 months old so when he grows out of braces, we get him fitted for new ones so its expensive. Chris called the orthotics place today and the receptionist told us that our insurance covered 100% of the costs. This is the first time that we don't have to pay. We now have received an extra $350. God has blessed us by giving us close to $500. Its so wonderful to feel so blessed.

I wanted to share this with you so you will know that God does bless you. It may not be the way that you expect it. I am not a name it and claim it type of person. I believe you keep your heart faithful to God and when you least expect it, He shows up in the most wonderful way.

Have a wonderful night,

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Dept. of Justice wants Porn Stars Names

I was watching Dan Abrams tonight and he was talking about how the Department of Justice wants all Porn Stars to give them their names, aliases and other information in order to help stop the Kiddie Porn industry. The interesting part of the report was that he had Ron Jeremy and a conservative whose name escapes me to be the speaking heads.

This "conservative" mentioned 10 names of porn movies during his 3 minutes of the interview. Ron Jeremy on the other hand actually was intelligent in the discussion. RJ stated that in his 30 + years in the porn industry there has only been 2 incidents of where under age girls used fake ids to get their start (Tracy Lords and someone else). RJ stated that just like applying for a job, you have to show proof of age and eligibility to work.

Mr. Conservative was so busy espousing names of porn movies , he asked RJ what does the industry do to ensure that underage kids don't get involved. RJ had already answered this question.

Here's my thought, with everything we need to get done in this country such as getting sexual offenders information updated on the Internet databases (currently some states are 6 months behind) and Homeland Security, does DOJ really have the manpower to do the research? Or do they want to look at porn on company time? Or since the porn industry is a multi billion dollar industry, are they looking to see if everyone has paid their taxes or if not, collect it?

I am not a porn advocate but I would rather have my tax dollars be more productive. The kiddie porn business can be tracked online without tapping into the Adult Porn Industry. Lets be better stewards of the tax dollars DOJ and do something more worthwhile.

Have a great night!

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This is crazy but I'm gonna do it!!

As you know, I started this blog back in May because my position was eliminated due to a business decision. My resume is on every imaginable website. I am registered with 2 temporary agencies and I have gone on a total of 3 interviews. I want to find a permanent employer so I am going outside the box and hoping you, Internet Friends, will help me find a job. I do not want to register with anymore temporary agencies unless its for a direct hire position. I have posted my resume within this blog and if you know someone who could use my expertise, please forward it to them. Thanks for your help!!



Belinda M. Wray
belindawray2003@yahoo.com

Professional Profile
Commercial Construction Administrator, Operations Manager, Property Manager
22 years Accounting Experience
8 years commercial real estate contract experience
Enforced Insurance Requirements
Worked with Owner Controlled Insurance Programs
Managed 14 commercial buildings
Oversaw Daily Operations for Utah based Holding Company
Administered $124,000,000 in Commercial Construction Contracts
Developer Relation Skills
Professional Accomplishments
Commercial Real Estate
· Audited, prepared cash flow reporting and administered commercial industrial contracts
· Processed $4,000,000 in VHDA/HUD Commercial Loans, 100,000,000 in Construction-Perm/Tax Exempt Bond financing in multifamily housing
· Accumulated, analyzed limited partnerships, property management companies, market analyses, environmental reports to assist developers getting their loans approved and processed.
· Property Manager for 3 commercial tenants, 6 residential tenants and a retail store for out of state owner.
Management and Supervision
· Hired, trained, supervised, evaluated staff for retail store.
· Interviewed, ran credit and personal references and reviewed leases for commercial tenants
· Handled all issues regarding tenants, employees, and neighboring businesses.
· Trained, managed and inspired leaders in the AWANA Program at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
Contract Administration
· Initiated and review leases for commercial and residential tenants
· Enforced contract terms, conditions and requirements.
· Paid contractors based upon negotiated pricing and payment terms.
· Released retentions upon final approval on construction projects.

Work History

Operations/Property Manager
Wellotson Holdings, LLC, Fruit Heights, UT 84037
11/2005-4/2007
Construction Auditor
Accountemps, Richmond, VA 23219
9/2003-11/2005
Administrative Assistant
United Dominion Realty Trust, Richmond, VA 23219
8/2000-11/2001
Executive Office Assistant
General Services Corporation, Richmond, VA 23225
9/1999-8/2000
Education
Junior Level
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

References
References are available upon request.

If you accept the challenge, I would be highly appreciative.

Here's to happy hunting,

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I don't know how, but we survived last night

I don't know how we did it. If you have younger kids (middle school and below) then you know that last night was the debut of High School Musical 2. Disney had started a 24 hour countdown the day before. Disney was counting its money last night. Here comes the second round of money maker items.

The first High School Musical CD was the best selling CD in 2006 beating out all other artists. Disney also put on a High School Musical, the concert and this fall Richmond will host High School Musical the ice show. My daughters attended the concert in Charlottesville and my husband won tickets to the ice show.

Now for High School Musical 2, it takes place during the summer vacation of their Junior Year of High School . Its full of teen angst and without the cursing and sexual innuendo which is a blessing to us. The movie was cute but the first one was better. Its filled with most of the songs that you've been listening to on Radio Disney.

B's Girl Scout leader purchased a wide screen TV and hosted a High School Musical sleepover. At our house, we a mini party with K and C. We went out to Friendly's and had an ice cream sundae toast to the show. We then had home made cupcakes to eat during the 1/2 way point. K got to stay up until 10pm and she was excited about that. This morning K and C said that High School Musical 2 was COOL!!!

Overall, there were plenty of High School Musical parties going on through out last night. We survived watching it and trying to remember those high school years of looking for college money, scholarships and buying our first car while trying to hold on to our "true love".

Here's to your high school memories. May it bring music back to you.

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Have you heard about Hilliard House?

I found out about Hilliard House and wanted to share about this wonderful place located in the east end of Richmond. I grew up in east Henrico (Highland Springs) and its nice to see that there is such a cool place out near where I grew up.

Hilliard House is a “House Full of Potential” that offers holistic and is a unique housing program, they offer homeless women and homeless women with children the opportunity to live in a supported environment while transitioning from crisis to stability. Located on Nine Mile Road at Dabbs House Road across from the government complex in eastern Henrico County, this thirty-bed facility was once the Hilliard family farm. I remember this farm and thought it was such a cool place that had been abandoned. This is so wonderful.

The Henrico Board of Supervisors was very supportive of the idea of Hilliard House from the beginning. Supervisor Jim Donati suggested the property at 3900 Nine Mile Road. The property belonged to the Hilliard families who lived in the 1920’s vintage farmhouse. It remained in the family until the County purchased it in 1993. HCHC leased the property from the County, raised $1.5 million and built the campus-like facility incorporating the house and stable that was on the property.

Ellie Meleski and Karl Bren, long known in the Richmond community for advocacy for affordable housing and services to the homeless, were the driving force behind this effort.
After renovating the farmhouse and adding 10 bedrooms, meditation room, children’s play area, and light filled living space, Hilliard House opened in October of 2000. Since then they have served over 135 individuals half of whom are children. From a pool of many nominees, Hilliard House was privileged to receive a HUD Virginia Best Practices Award in 2000.
Who do they help? The residents come from Henrico County(30%), Richmond City (35%), Chesterfield (15%), Petersburg/Hopewell area( 15%), and the rest from Central VA. Their homelessness is caused by eviction due to financial difficulties (job loss, loss of partner), domestic or family violence; substance abuse issues or incarceration. Many live doubled up with friends or family members before being on the street or seeking emergency shelters.

They could use your help!!! This month, the financial institution that I am working at is collecting household items such as trash bags, laundry detergents, etc. If you want to be a help to an organization that helps people who live in your community, please click on the link above and contact them. I'm sure they would love to hear from you.

Here's to a great weekend!!

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Bright Beginnings does your soul good!!

Every year the YMCA teams up with Bright Beginnings. Bright Beginnings is a national organization that helps children at risk, low income families and homeless families get the training and education they need. This year, I got to be a part of it first hand and it was truly an eye opening experience for me.

First the YMCA had requested backpacks filled with school supplies for boys and girls ranging from Kindergarten to Fifth grade. Where I am temping, they promised to fill 40 backpacks. When the collection was finished, they had 50 backpacks to donate to the YMCA. The surprise and appreciativeness of the YMCA made everyone feel blessed.

The second thing the YMCA requested was for volunteers to help children pick out school clothes for school. These children don't have a lot of clothes and the families can't take on the added burden so I volunteered as well as 40 others.

We met this past Monday night and I was partnered with an 8 year old little girl who laughed at all of my silliness and who truly appreciated the shopping experience. She was bright and bubbly and loves the color pink so for this blog, I will call her Pink. Pink told me all about her family, she was one of 7 children ranging from 11 years old down to toddler. Her gramme has a big dog who likes to play and she works at the YMCA. Her Auntie works at Target and her mother stays home until all of the kids are enrolled in school.

We were given a $100 budget and shopping at Target we were able to get her the things she wanted and needed. She found 3 pairs of pants, a Jacket, 3 shirts, a package of underwear and socks as well as a pair of brown tennis shoes trimmed in pink. She was thrilled to get the clothes. She never complained about trying things on and she knew what she liked in a nice and precocious way.

After our shopping experience, we were treated to a hot dog dinner and we sat and enjoyed our conversations. We had our picture taken together and for the group picture she sought me out as she said that I was her buddy and she hoped that we could be friends. When I left her, my heart was full of happiness as she brought more blessings to me than I could have imagined. I was with a child who didn't have much but was truly content in her circumstances.

She was bright and happy and she ended up being my dessert for the day as it felt great to do good for someone else. If you ever have the opportunity to volunteer for Bright Beginnings, I highly recommend it. That night we helped 26 Richmond area school children who were smart and appreciative of everything.

Hope you have bright beginning to your day..


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September Dawn brings Controversy

If you haven't heard, an independent production company named Black Diamond Productions is releasing a movie called September Dawn. This movie is about a massacre that occurred on September 11, 1857 in an unspoiled valley of the Utah Territory—and in the name of God—120 men, women and children were savagely murdered.

The production company says that its based on actual historical events. September Dawn is a feature length drama that depicts the tragic encounter between a party of innocent settlers and a fanatic Mormon militia believed to be backed by the highest religious figures of the Mormon movement during that time. The religious terrorism depicted in the film happened 150 years ago. The advertisement is trying to tie it to the modern day terrorism of today. I don't believe that you can compare religious terrorism.

I find it interesting that Hollywood is helping to promote this movie but when another independent movie was released, Amazing Grace, which is based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce, who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Hollywood did not do very much in promoting this remarkable movie.

I don't believe in coincidence in life or happenings so I wonder if the release and the Hollywood backing of September Dawn could have anything to do with the fact that there is a Mormon running for President. Hollywood is known for its liberalism. Dare I say, could this be a liberal conspiracy against a Mormon conservative who happens to be running for the highest office in our country? I wonder.

I loved Amazing Grace and I love independent movies so I will probably go and watch as its historical fiction which is another love. But, I won't let a movie help me to decide on my vote during the election of any official.

Let me know your thoughts and here's to the movies.

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Do you love Historic Fiction? If so, read me

As I said in a previous post, I have rediscovered my love of reading. I belong to a writing group and it was encourage to read books for the genre that you would write for. Well, I couldn't find any interesting personal stories of special needs kids. My husband is currently reading the Short Bus and as soon as he's finished then I will read it.

In browsing books at the library, I stumbled across a historical fiction book called the "The Last Kingdom" by Bernard Cromwell. Its the 3rd book in the series regarding King Alfred The Great. The only king to be called "The Great". This takes place in 860 ad before England is formed and the continent is divided into different fiefdoms. The Danes who are land hungry and worship Thor, Odin and the other pagan gods come to conquer. King Alfred was a christian king who womanized when he was younger and scholars now believed that he developed Crohn's disease and due to the disease the womanizing stop. He also expected that his Chief Warriors could read so they would be able to read his orders and not depend on word of mouth which is a very astute way of thinking during that century.



The story is told by the protagonist's point of view, Uhtred Ragnarsson. He was born in Northumbria (a fiefdom England). His father and mother died and his Uncle assumed the Lord position of Bebbanburg. The Uncle then tried to have Uhtred murdered at the age of 10 so he could have Bebbanburg unchallenged. The Danes save Uhtred and he is raised in the Danish way of life. At the age of 20 (which is considered to be getting old and when you are 40, you are considered ancient), he is "rescued" by priests and given to King Alfred of Wessex. Now, he must fight for King Alfred. Uhtred is torn between the love of the Danes and the patriotism of being Saxon.



Its beautifully written. All of the characters are multi dimensional. The story is fast in action. The details of the fights are great but not gory. Nothing in the book is salacious. The best part of the book is that after you read this great story, he has a historic note section where he explains to you where everything is in comparison to what we know now as England and he reveals the more interesting parts of his research regarding the names of the characters which a lot are actual people.



If you love a good read and historical fiction, I highly recommend the King Alfred Series: Book 1 - The Lord's of the North; Book 2 - The Pale Horseman, Book 3 - The Last Kingdom and Book 4 will be released in January 2008 (I can't wait) Sword's Song.

Here's to reading and writing.

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A Special Surprise at Barnes and Noble

I apologize for not writing for a while but my husband has been writing things in his blog that I had wanted to. I also have fallen in love with reading. Its a great surprise to myself, but this post isn't about my reading. We have a friend who has been in the hospital. His colon ruptured and abscessed. He was not doing well. Today he felt better so we decided to go and visit. I went to Barnes and Noble on Midlothian at lunch time and that's where I found my great surprise.

I was walking around looking for the magazine section. I walked around and around and then I noticed a new section in the bookstore. It specializes in special needs books. There were guide books from everything from Aspberger's to Down Syndrome. There were also books written by people who were personally affected by special needs. I couldn't believe it. I can't tell you the number of times that I have been to books a million and Borders looking for special needs books. I was so excited. There weren't any books on hydrocephalus but that's OK. There were helpful books regarding ADHD and the teenage kid, twilight syndrome, sensory issues, gross motor delays. You name it and it was there.

If you know someone who is looking for a book regarding special needs, I highly recommend Barnes and Noble.

Have a great night..

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A Trip To Holland

We had dinner last night with friends for Chris' birthday. We had a wonderful meal at Texas De Brazille located at Regency Square. The conversation turned to me wanting to write a book and not knowing how to begin. She told me about this poem regarding special needs, " A Trip to Holland". I want to share this with you as its a wonderful illustration of how I feel about special needs.


Welcome To Holland
by
Emily Perl Kingsley
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Thank you M for sharing this wonderful poem with me.

May you enjoy your trip to wherever you land.

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Kids = Love + Joy

I often take things for granted and forget about the little things in life that bring out smiles. How often, I have eaten ice cream and enjoyed the taste but without the enthusiasm of a 4 year old. I also have been to the pool and sometimes forget how exciting it is to go to the deep end where your feet can't touch the bottom. Its these small things that bring delight in my children and remind me how wonderful the little things are.

We took C out for ice cream last night. He had to go see his Orthopaedic Doctor for his 6 month check up. While waiting in the waiting area for 1-1/2 hours, the TV was playing Madagascar. C watched TV and drew pictures. Every once in a while he would ask where's the doctor. Once Dr. T saw him and checked out his legs, ankles and knees, we took C to get an X-Ray to check his spine. He was born with a small curvature which he has now outgrown. Dr. T asked him his favorite ice cream and C said chocolate. Then C wanted ice cream for dinner. Since this week is Vacation Bible School during the night, Chris and I took C out to Friendly's for dinner and ice cream. We ate dinner and ordered ice cream. When it came, C's ice cream was topped off with whip cream and a cherry. After C ate all of the whip topping, he noticed that he had chocolate ice cream. He screamed in delight, "Look Mommy, choclate ice cream". I looked at the sheer delight in his face and the enthusiasm of finding his "surprise". I had forgotten how fun it is to find the ice cream.

Our daughters, B and K, participate in the Recreation Departments daily activities. Every Friday, they go to Pocahontas State Park to swim. They were so excited about teaching each other on how to wear a life vest so they could go to the deep end of the pool. B enjoys diving and touching the bottom of the pool. The enthusiasm in their voice while explaining all of this was contagious. How I wished I could remember those fun times.

Our kids bring joy to me and to others. Tonight was the last night of vacation bible school and C's teacher told us how much she and her family have enjoyed him. They said that he was always happy and full of joy in everything they did which ranged from crafts to playing sports. His picture made the Progress Index today. He was playing basketball and the sheer joy in his face shows how he is happy with everything. We are supposed to be joyful in everything and C certainly shows it. The girls coaches and huddle leaders told me how wonderful the girls were and how they will be missed. It is such a joy to me to hear positive things about our kids from other people. It reassures me that we must be doing something right with our kids.

We tell our kids I love you before they go to sleep. Even when its a hard night in getting them to settle down, they know that we love them. The smile of happiness when they hear us tell them that we love them reminds me that we are not to take their child hood for granted and to appreciate the small things in life.

My kids remind me of Joy and happiness. I may not always be joyful in all things, but I am sure glad that they are here to remind me.

May you have a joyful and happy weekend.

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I found a Throne for my Prince!! Will it help?

In training C, I find its much harder than with the girls. While researching the Internet for ideas, I found his throne. Its cheaper than the one I purchased but I really want it. Do you think this will encourage my little prince to go wee wee into the potty or will it make not a difference.

He sits on the potty for 2 minutes and says, "I went potty". I tell him that he didn't pee pee or pooh pooh into the potty and he claims emphatically, "YES I DID!!". What is a mother to do?

The girls were so much easier, in 2 weeks, they pee peed in the potty and doing the #2 business was harder. C only holds it until he can't anymore and then goes into his pull up.

Any suggestions would be great. I think I may have to get my prince a throne and maybe he then can be King of the Potty.

Hope you had a great weekend. I am off to accept the potty challenge once again.

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I am going to defend Lindsey Lohan in this incident

I can't believe I actually watched Nancy Grace but after reading the 911 tape and seeing the tmz.com interview with the 3 guys in the GMC truck, I believe the media has it wrong. The woman on the phone doesn't answer police questions due to her fright. She kept saying "HE" and not she. "HE got out of the car"; "He had a gun or was pulling something out", "Oh my God, what is HE doing". Not once did she say "She".

Also, the 3 guys are not small guys. They are lanky with height. How did Lindsey overcome ALL 3 guys. No matter how much you drink, someone who weighs 100 lbs tops, can't fight off 3 guys with average weight of 180 lbs (I'm guessing). I am sure they knew she was Lindsey Lohan and she had run ins with the police. They were probably thinking they could add this to their notch belt of being really cool.

This is the synopsis of what I believe what occurred:

Her assistant invited her boyfriend who brought 2 friends to a party that she was attending with Lindsey. Her and Lindsey got into a fight. Assistant quits. Calls her mom and leaves the party. Lindsey runs out to try and stop her. Mom drives off. Lindsey looks for her transportation. The guys say, "Come on we'll take you". The car was sitting at the assistant's house when mom pulls up. Mom didn't recognize the vehicle. Guy gets out. Mom freaks out and leaves. Chase pursues. Truck finds assistant and mom calls police. The guys freak out when the police arrive and claim to be innocent. Police zero in on Lindsey. Boys see "Money coming for potential lawsuit". Call my agent. Media knows that they can get ratings by running the "Lindsey did it again".

One of the guys said that she ran over his foot. The bandage and boot looked homemade. If a hospital did that poor of a job wrapping it, then they should go back to nursing school.

Don't get me wrong, Lindsey isn't perfect but she had a lot of enablers to help her to get to where she is now. Bars allowing under age drinking going on and the ABC Board doesn't pull there alcohol license. Her mom is more interested in being popular than being a mother who should have put her foot down. A dad with a drug and alcohol problem who I believe may have straightened himself out. Her friends are "yes men" and no one wants to rock the cart. After all Lindsey picks up the tabs and she gets into all the "hot" places. Whose gonna to tell her to grow up.

Before, we jump to conclusions, lets everyone take a lie detector test to get to the truth. Yes, she had cocaine on her. I believe its hers. She should take accountability for what she does and not blame the paparazzi. She needs a parent with a backbone.

Normally, I don't get involved in celebrity issues but this one has too many loopholes.

What do you think?

Have a great weekend.

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Richmond SPCA said it best regarding Michael Vick

Robin Starr has stated what I have a hard time doing regarding Dog Fighting (in general) and the circus regarding the Michael Vick Case. For this reason, I copied it from my email from the Richmond SPCA to share with you.


On July 26, a group of us from the Richmond SPCA waited for hours in the heat to be present in the Federal District courtroom for the arraignment of Michael Vick and his co-defendants on dog fighting charges. It was worth the wait.
The proceedings were predictable and dignified in nature although you would never use those adjectives to describe the scene outside of the courthouse. There were hundreds of people there to mourn the dogs and to make the world aware of the unspeakable cruelties they have suffered. There were also Vick supporters present who seemed to reject the idea that he had committed the wrongs of which he is charged and even a few that disparaged the premise that dog fighting is a heinous crime. There were also some people who tried to make this out to be a racial issue.
As long as we have worked to make the public aware that dog fighting is a widespread underground activity of organized crime and brutal gangs, it was rewarding to me to see these men being brought to justice. While they are only the tip of the iceberg, the enormous amount of attention being paid to this matter gives me hope that the public’s outrage will translate into real progress in stopping this barbarism.
I am offended at the effort to make this out to be a racial matter. This is a matter of cruelty, nothing else. If the horrific allegations prove to be true (and the prosecutors indicated that there would be more to come), there is no excuse that can be made for these crimes. Animals are our companions and our friends who share this earth with us. They love us regardless of our color, class, religion or any other factor. They do not deserve to be brutalized and our society does not deserve the effects of such brutality. Let’s all acknowledge this sadism for what it is and, if these men are convicted, let the court know that the maximum sentence is the only appropriate response.
I will be writing a series of commentaries on the animal welfare issues related to the Vick prosecution for the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial pages as the case progresses. Please be looking for them over the coming few months. Thank you so very much for helping the Richmond SPCA to protect the well-being of the animals who need us.
Sincerely,


Robin Robertson Starr

Thanks Robin for speaking my thoughts so eloquently.

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I'm in First Place

A few weeks back, my husband was asked to help out with a class held by a mutual friend. He thought it would be a great idea. He asked me to come and support them and thinking that it would be a great thing for us to do together. So, I did and that's how I ended up in First Place which came at a perfect time as August is a stressful time for me.

First Place is a bible study series that focuses on putting God in First Place in your life to help everyday victory for everyday people regarding weight loss and becoming healthy spiritually. I thought well, I can always lose weight as it would make me healthier and a great excuse to stay in my Bible which I seem to neglect at times. I don't want to be a Sunday only Christian but an every day Christian.

One of the reasons that August is so stressful for me is because its the time when C usually meets with his orthopaedic doctor. I want C to walk without aids and to run as any 4 year old. C's doctor mentioned on one occasion that we may have to do surgery. I'm not a big fan of that as when C had surgery at 9 days old, he didn't come out of the anesthesia for 24 hours. It was a terrifying time for me. So, when we see Dr. T, I get nervous. Also, since C is growing that means we need to get sized for bigger braces to accommodate his feet. This is usually expensive. Our out of pocket expenses usually range around $500 which is what the insurance doesn't cover.

So this bible study came at a great time. During the second week of the bible study, we work out of a workbook and it struck me in an interesting way that we were studying the following verse:

2 Samuel 9, 1-13: David and Mephibosheth
3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet."
4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "Your servant," he replied.
7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's [a] table like one of the king's sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet.

It struck me that the Bible Study led me to this verse regarding crippled feet. This brought comfort to me for I realized that God will look after C no matter what happens.

In Sunday School Class, this past Sunday, we were doing our bible study in Acts. This was the verse that we studied that made sit back and say to myself. God, thank you! I know that you will answer my prayers in your time.

Acts 14 : 8In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

I don't believe in coincidence. I believe everything has a reason. I am glad that my Faith is what is keeping me sane in this world and God does hear our prayers. Sometimes the answer is no and sometimes its a yes. I am starting to keep a prayer journal so I can see the yes' and nos. I remember a lot yes' in my life and quite a few nos.

I am so glad that I am in First Place. Now , maybe I can go through August without my normal stress and nervousness. Time will tell as C sees Dr. T on August 2 and gets fitted up on August 3rd, Chris' birthday.

Here's hoping you receive your daily blessing~

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