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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Night Before The Night Before Christmas

So I got to see my little bro in the Nutcracker this weekend. He was awesome! It's so amazing how talented that kid truly is! I tried to take pictures, but it didn't work out so well for me. I'll try to have my camera figured out by the next performance. Here is one of him just being his cute little self:

The 23rd of December is kind of a funny day. The anticipation is there, but Christmas still kind of seems far away.

I had the day off today so I got to do some of those final things before Christmas. I wrapped a gift, baked some bread, and finished some shopping. Tonight, I hope to read the Christmas story. It kind of helps me center the season on what's important.

Christmas is just one of those things that immediately transports me to my youth. Right now, I am watching "Babes in Toyland" with Drew Barrymore and Keanu Reaves. It's one of those movies we almost ruined on VHS because we watched so many times. (Remember how VHS's could be ruined with use?) We also had the same predicament with the Care Bear's version of the Nutcracker. Same goes for Mickey's Christmas Carol. We were big Christmas movie-watching kids. Although we aren't going to watch any of those movies when I get home, I am still looking forward to spending some time with my siblings and family for Christmas.

I am working tomorrow so I will get to Christmas Eve services a little late, but I know that I will get there in time for my favorite part. For as long as my dad has been a pastor, the very last part of Christmas Eve services has remained the same. It's so special to me. We pass out the flimsy candles and sing, in candle light, "Silent Night."

Silent Night
Holy Night
All is calm
All is Bright
Round Yon Virgin,
Mother and Child
Holy Infant,
So tender and Mild
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Silent night,
holy night,
Son of God,
Love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth

I just love reflecting on the importance of that quiet, still, cave-dwelling (most likely anyway) moment. Even as a baby, Jesus was Lord. And his purpose, although not yet realized, was to save us with redeming grace. How powerful. Birth is always powerful. I can't even imagine at this point, how powerful it will be when I go through that process and meet my child. But for our savior, his birth was such a blessing for all of us. I don't remember every day. I don't even recognize hima quarter of the time that I should. But on this one day a year, we all get a day to remember the one who redeemed us. Who saved us. Who bought us even though we were worth nothing. Wow.

May this Christmas time be a time of remembrance, redemption, family, and tradition for all of us.

Here's to Christmas. And to Silent Nights. Merry Christmas and May 2009 be blessed!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

I wrote On Monday and Forgot to Post So Here it is...

Monday is always an interesting day. It seems like, no matter what happened last week, you never know what you will get on Monday. This Monday has been a little odd. We had a weird occurrence last night that interrupted our sleep. Thanks to that, I am exhausted but caffeinated today. Thank God for a husband who works in a coffee shop. Today is also the youngest Walter’s birthday. He is 21 and, from what I can tell from our texting, loving it. Congrats, Mark.
This weekend was really pretty great. I traveled Saturday to see my parents. First, I saw my mom at church. For 26 years, she has been directing children’s choir performances. That is true dedication. I watched the latest group sing, dance, and goof off. It reminded me of my childhood and made me realize how young I was. It also reminded me that I may, in fact, be the bossiest person alive. I walked straight into a group of stranger children and started giving directions. Wowee zowee. I have no scruples. I keep praying for God to teach me to keep my mouth shut. It is a slow lesson. Mom laughed it off and we grabbed lunch, hit Wal-Mart, and I finished my Christmas cards.
The real reason I came home was to see my dad. He and I have spent many a Christmas season ringing bells outside Wal-Mart. When he signed up to do it this year, he asked me to tag along. I have to say there are few joys as great as ringing bells during the Christmas season. Sure, it’s freezing. And some people avoid eye contact like the plague. But most of the time, it’s heartwarming. People teaching their children to give to others. Strangers wishing you a Merry Christmas. Friends stopping to chat about their shopping trip. OK, I don’t have any friends in Salem, but my dad’s friends stopped to chat. The neatest part is that, even in these times of economic turmoil, people who look like they don’t have much to give fill the bucket. Families with lots of children who pour out of an old car will hand you a five, or a little old lady who can barely walk into the store will stop with a few bucks. Even people that look like they could possibly be on the receiving end of such charities seem to find anything they have to give. It’s so inspiring. I know not everyone who gives believes in the true meaning of Christmas, but to watch the generosity of people who have no incentive to give reinforces to me that there is a God. One young man even stopped to pray for the recipients of the donations. I was truly humbled by my experience this year. If you have never taken the time to ring the Salvation Army bell, I encourage you to volunteer. Those will be two hours of your life that you will never regret.
May the Lord bless you and keep you during this Christmas season. May you remember, as I am learning each day, that every gift comes from above. And may you begin this January, a new year, as a new beginning.
I hope to blog again before Christmas, but if it doesn’t happen, Merry Christmas to all.
Here’s to Christmas blessings.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Happy Birthday to My Little Brother

Happy Birthday to Marky Thomas. He is 21 today. From the day he was born, he was MY baby. And today, he is my grown up friend. I love you, Mark! Have a great birthday and I will see you on Friday!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Biting Winter Cometh

Being back in CoMO is a great thing, but I got here right in time to usher in winter. We had our first big snow in Missouri while we were at the MU/kU game. Yes, that's right, while we were there. We got snowed on. Dumped on. And then we lost. What a day!

On the positive side, Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful. We got to go around the table and tell what we were most thankful for this year. I have to say, I had a hard time coming up with just one thing. I feel like 2008 has been such an incredibly blessed year. I feel like I have grown in my faith, my job, and my marriage. I love my family, and I have shared a great year with each member. It's incredibly humbling to know that everything I have has been given to me, not on merit, but just by God's blessing. And, in the same manner, everything could be taken away. Today alone, over 15,000 people will lose their jobs. Everything we have is fragile. Our lifestyle, our lifes themselves. I can't help but be thankful for my current circumstances. Life truly is good. And, without all the blessings, life would still be good, but different.

So I bought --gasp-- the new Britney CD yesterday. Yes, it's true. I'm not perfect. Honestly, it's not bad. In other pop culture news, I saw Twilight on Tuesday, and I loved it! My reward when I finish the GRE will be to be able to read the book series.
We are going to get our Christmas card photos done this week. I will try to post when they are complete.
Here's to winter!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Home again, Home again!

Oh man. It is a Monday morning, and, not only am I in my own city for once, but I have the day off and am staring across the table at my gorgeous groom. What an amazing treat for this holiday week. Wow! I love my job more than any person should, but, after a long fall on the road, it is nice to be home, sipping pumpkin lattes and worrying about Christmas cards instead of deadlines and index cards (I write all info about prospective students on index cards). Anyway, it's just so lovely.

So before I post a few pics, a little about my current thoughts. We are reading a book in my small group called "Humility" by CJ Mahaney. If you haven't picked it up, I highly encourage it. It's a quick read, and easy enough. It is changing the way I think about my human condition. As a human, I am inherently flawed. That's easy enough for us all to remember, right? "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Rom 8:28. That's something I have been told for most of my life. But what Mahaney does is takes it a step further. Not only are we all flawed, but our flawed nature makes us focus on our pride. On us. We try to take the glory away from God and away from his power. I live for me. But as a Christian, I don't get to live for me. Jesus sacrificed himself so that I could live AT ALL. And as a gracious act of thanksgiving of that sacrifice, I am to self-sacrifice. Be HUMBLE. And how often does this play out in my life? About 1 percent of the time. That's probably an overstatement. As a human, even when I do good things, I don't always have good, humble motives. We all want to be recognized, to be noticed. But God tells us, throghout Mahaney's book, that he notices those whose lives are humble and motives are pure. So my heart has really been focused on that for the last day or so. I want to have clean hands and a pure heart. How do I get there? Daily resignation to my sinful nature. Daily recognition of my savior's great love and sacrifice for me. Daily submission to his word. Living it out. I am not there. And probably won't get there. But I need help. So, feel free to call me out. Question me. As a body of believers, we are called to lift each other up and support each other in our goal to be immitators of Christ. So, off I go on my journey. Really, if you have about an hour, read the book. And then if you are in CoMO and want some coffee, call me and we will discuss.

So this week is Thankgsiving! Finally! We are headed out tomorrow to my parents to enjoy the holiday. Family is such a huge part of my life, I am thrilled to have a great family that I enjoy so much! Hooray for family!

My pictures are taking too long to load. I will post next time.

Here's to family, faith, and thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Platte City

This week has had a lot of nostalgia and so I just have some wierd comments...discombobulated comments.

I have a huge cold and I am grumpy so forgive the short post.

First, I got to drive past the house I lived in as a preschooler this week. I hadn't seen it in 15 years. A weird feeling came about me, being in a town that had a help in shaping me but I don't remember well. Being there felt like shadows of memories. I couldn't remember everything but I knew important things had happened there. I took pictures of the house, and I would love to show you, but I left my connecting cord at home this week.

Next, I am staying in Platte City, a town very near the town I lived in as an elementary student. My favorite grocery store closed, and is being replaced by a Price Chopper. How awful!

Finally, the church where I grew up was smashed into by a drunk driver last night. The driver drove all the way through the church office and is now being held on drunk driving and immigration charges. I can't believe it!

So yeah, weird, nostalgic stuff. I am ready for Thanksgiving.

Here's to childhood memories.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Greetings from Omaha. I realize I am a bad blogette for not blogging in a long time. However, I don't exactly care. Traveling kind of sucks the life out of me. I have enough life tonight to blog... hooray.

Special shout out to my birthday friend Melissa! So glad I got to see her this weekend!

Now, on with the fun. Only two weeks left of travel for me. It's almost unbelievable how quickly it's gone. I have to say that I might like Omaha even better than Minnesota. I was blessed to get some zoo time. I will add some pictures. At the zoo, I had a zoo volunteer with time on her hands who personally walked me through the zoo. It was such a treat! I really felt like God blessed me with a little friend. I got back and the hotel upgraded me to a suite. I also got to go to the Durham museum today. It's been a pretty terrific week outside of work.

Inside of work, well, Omaha kids really like the Huskers. Boo! I have had a couple of just fantastic visits with enthusiastic kids. A few of my visits only had one kid. One was a no-show. I offended a ton of kids when I said that we killed the big N in football. But, I only speak the truth! The kids that I have seen have been great--the counselors too.

I am ready to go home and see my husband! I am also ready for that extra hour of sleep on Sunday. Hooray for sleep! I haven't worked out all week because of a stinky cold. Maybe an extra hour of sleep would be just what I need.

On an unrelated note, one of the bloggers I read consistently just had her beautiful baby boy. Her son was originally told he would not live because of a heart condition. He is not only alive but he is doing so well, he isn't even in the NICU. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. If you have an extra second, head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ or just say a quick prayer. What a cool blessing.

Well, I am off to a bubble bath but I will try to keep up more in the future. Here are some pictures for the road.

Here's to awesome zoos and wonderful women who bless your path.

Monday, September 29, 2008

who doWell, yes, I am in Minneapolis! That's in Minnesota for those of you who don't get out much. So far I have done two FANTASTIC college visits. The high schools here are a new kind of huge. The last high school had a map of ALL FOUR FLOORS posted in front of the door. I took a picture of the building but it doesn't do it justice. I will try to post some pictures of my journey sometime later this week.

I was hunting for wireless and found a coffee shop. You know it's not going to be a good coffee experience when you order a traditional cappuccino and the guy says, "so what do you mean by traditional?" Oh no. I should have run then. But I didn't. I asked what he would recommend for food. The kid's response "Well, it's lunch time so I would order a sandwich." Mind you, ALL THEY HAVE FOR LUNCH IS SANDWICHES. Wow. Dense? I think so. So I ordered. They microwaved somthing and came out with my coffee in a styrofoam cup. Styrofoam! At least I have wireless. The other plus is that it is absolutely gorgeous here. I think I will head off in search of better food however, because after ten bucks, I am still hungry. Oh well. Not all coffee shops are created equal.

Here's to my Southern (ha!) accent and the Minnesotans who love it.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Maryville is... Maryville

I am currently in Maryville, MO. What is in Maryville, you ask? A nice Italian restaurant, a hotel room in the Comfort Inn that is the largest I have ever seen, a TV that has weird green and blue disruptions in the picture, a high school, about a dozen other college reps, and ME! So, nothing. I am on the road once again. I had a college fair today in St. Joe, did a little shopping, and now I am in the room. There is nothing on TV. I believe I will be going to online TV soon. On a side note, I got some GREAT deals at Old Navy. Eric, I am certain you do not read this. However, you have a new shirt waiting for you. So cute!

So, it was my birthday this week. I had the best birthday. Possibly the best ever. I had my presentation group unexpectedly sing me happy birthday on the actual day. Ashley also made me some great cupcakes. I left at one and went on a winery picnic with Eric. I always forget how beautiful that view is. Then Mom and Dad got to Columbia, and Mom and I had pedicures. I have adorable pink polish on my toes. Eric got me a completely unexpected gift. It is awesome! I got a framed replica of the Missourian cover when Mizzou was ranked #1. Eric said he chose that specific one because, not only was Missouri #1, but it was our first year married and our first year in Columbia. He is so cute! Pete also went in on it, and it will be hanging in our home soon. Eric also got me a diploma frame. My diploma has been hiding in a closet for too long. The frame has a picture of Jesse Hall at night, completely appropriate for me. He was just so thoughtful!
Mom and Dad took us all out to Olive Garden (well, not Pete; he went to hunt) and we just had the best time. They also gave me my gift: a new camera! So I will officially have photo blogs now! Hooray!

Thanks to everyone who wrote me messages, sent me emails, and called. It really was the best birthday!

Here's a picture of me and Eric at dinner at Olive Garden!

Here's my mom and dad showing how cool they are at Olive Garden. Yes, they are simultaneously talking on their matching phones. Cool guys, really cool.

Here's my darling husband with the adorable (and TASTY!) cupcake he baked especially for my bithday!

And finally, Here is a pic from the gorgeous game on Saturday. It was after the win! We are going to call a win a win on this one, pretty or not. No surprise that we were bumped down one this week in the poll--but I have high hopes for two weeks from now. We just love being tiger fans!

Tune in soon, as I have a whole blog worth of pet photos. I know you wish I was kidding, but alas, I am not!

Here's to birthdays and family!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Latte Land!

Although it feels like my whole life is a land of lattes, today I am literally in a coffeeshop in KC called LatteLand! It is the only place where I will drink a chai latte, because they BREW their chai. No kidding. It's incredible. So, since I had a half hour before I could check into my hotel, I am sipping a chai latte and updating work emails here in LatteLand. It's fun to be here. Speaking of coffee, I haven't checked it out yet, but I am supposedly on the Kaldi's official blog. So, if you want to check it out, you can go to www.kaldiscoffee.com and click on the blog link. Wahoo!

My first taste of the counselor luncheons was today. It was a long but good time in St. Joe. I have one more tomorrow before heading home. It's interesting to hear statistics from the other campuses. Probably the most interesting part is hanging out with the reps and seeing their personalities. I also got to meet some of my counselors from my new area. They seem to be great people. I know that I am "from" the lake, but I definitely feel more at home in the small towns of Northwest Missouri. The people are just so kind. I had to drive past the Dearborn exit twice and twice I almost stopped. Maybe one of these days.

I am unloading for the luncheon in 45 minutes so I best get going.

Here's to REAL chai!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

On the Road Again

So it's been a while with the blog. I would say it's because I have been busy. And I have been busy. But the real truth is that I am just not always sure what to blog about. Here's a sampling of the activities in the last three weeks.

*Our lovely cousin moved into town to go to school. I have seen her several times, and she seems to be doing well. She promises to cook for the boys while I am on the road.

*We had a family reunion. The newest addition to the family, a ten month old, was there for her first reunion and it was soooo fun to watch her. Maybe "family reunion" is not an accurate title for the weekend. It maybe should have just been called "The Molly Show." Yeah, we all just watched her. And football.

*Speaking of football, MU is 2 for 2. And we are 2 for 2 watching. The IL game was stressful, the SEMO game, not so much. The funniest thing--our score both games was 52. Weird.

*I am finally on the road again! I am writing from a hotel room in my territory. After watching 5 episodes of Notes from the Underbelly, it occured to me that I am officially not busy and that I had time to write.

I am enjoying my first night on the road, even if it did include a Mexican dinner that did NOT automatically come with chips and salsa. Yeah, have you ever even heard of such a thing? Me neither. So I paid 5 bucks for my chips and salsa, making my total order 18 bucks without tip. NUTS I tell you! I barely got to eat any of it since I was so full from chips and salsa. UGH!

Other than that, I am enjoying the road. The boys had poker night tonight so I didn't miss much at home. I will be out two nights this week as opposed to my normal 5 so it's kind of a nice start. I know I will be ready to come home by Thursday.

Not a profound post but a post nonetheless.

Here's to fall!

Monday, August 18, 2008

I am currently staying busy scheduling for the fall. It's not that I don't want to write, it's that I am having trouble finding time.

In my free time, I am watching the Olympics with great fervor. And not just that Phelps kid either. Go Cantwell!!

I will return soon with a new entry.

Here's to the Olympics!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Fabulous Friday

Well, did you miss me? I am officially back from my break from blogging. I will admit, the break was unintentional. Still, it feels good to be back.

Our anniversary in Chicago was great. Someday I will get brave and learn how to post pictures. We had amazing food, a great hotel room, and an overall fabulous time. If we didn't love Columbia so much, it would be easy to move to Chicago. But we do love Columbia and as long as God wants us here, here we will stay. It was nice to retreat to somewhere with fun parks, great sushi, and easy-to-reach eggs bennedict. We are hoping to go back again soon. Plus, having time without any responsibilities allowed us to reflect on how thankful we are for the gift of our marriage. I am so blessed God gave me a great man to spend my life with. It's been a fantastic year and I can't wait for the ones to come.

Getting back to work was good but tiring. It's always hard returning from vacation, even when you love your job. Just catching up and feeling part of things again takes a couple of days. Plus, when I got back, we had two new hires, so I had new people to meet as well. Since then (it has been a week) we had more office changes. Mary Ann got a grant to go back to school full time and Ashley will be taking her position. We will hire one more newbie, leaving me the senior traveling rep. Weird. I also get to choose my territory. I am completely torn. Stay tuned on that.

Yesterday was our last day of Bible study for the summer. What an incredible summer study it has been. I feel like I have learned so much about God, humanity, and myself in the study. Also, it has really left me for a yearning for more God. There is no better yearning in my opinion. The more I learn about God and the more I pay attention to the lives around me, the more I believe in total depravity. We are all a mess. Our pride has us so entangled in ourselves that we sometimes can't see that the only way to get out is to give up. In the past six months, I have spoken to people whose lives are torn with debilitating accidents, cancer, debt, divorce, death, addiction, and so much more. It pains me to see all the hurt in the ones around me, and even in my own life. And yet, through all of this, it only makes me see more our need for Christ. Specifically, for God's grace. In our study last night, we went over how we mistakenly think grace only means forgiveness. But it is everything that Christ did for us... free from pain, from hurt. Comfort from all our ailments. And there is no time more than the present that each of our lives need this Grace. The good news is that our God promises us, "My grace is sufficient." Torn apart lives? My grace is sufficient. Pride that keeps getting in the way? My grace is sufficient. What we do never works, but we keep trying. All along, Jesus keeps saying, "my grace is sufficient." And the part we always forget is without all of that pain, we really never would recognize our need for him.

Here's to grace. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

In(dependence) Week

Last weekend was incredible for several reasons. Here they are:
  • Eric and I got a whole weekend away from our responsibilities to play and enjoy each others' company.
  • We played tourists in STL, which I am sure neither of us had done in a very long time. This included watching adorable animals, climbing like a monkey (hit up the STL city museum if you haven't), watching an awful(!!) cardinals loss, playing with fireworks, and taking pictures at the arch. Incredible!
  • I got to see my fabulous friend Melissa. This was one of the best parts. I just LOVE her and never see her. Plus she introduced us to her new special man friend. It was just a blessing to hang out with them, enjoy our time, and pretend for a weekend that we all live in the same city.

Yes, it was a great Independence weekend. We are expecting another fabulous weekend this weekend, although I would call it more of an In(dependence) weekend. That's right, it's our anniversary! One year! We are celebrating being In a Dependent, marriage relationship for one year on Sunday!! We are headed to Chi-town to meet up with friends and enjoy some time together. I can't wait. If I ever get my camera to work, maybe I will start posting pictures from my journeys.

Seriously, though, being on the brink of celebrating this milestone reminds me how truly blessed I am. I have a God-fearing, wife-loving man that I adore. God really gave me a treasure on July 13 of last year. I still go to bed and wake up thinking how blessed I am that such a special man chose to marry me.

Here's to In(Dependence) weekend!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Lazy Weekend

I haven't posted in a week, so I am basically just posting for the sake of posting right now. I am sitting at Eric's work waiting for him to finish up so we can go to the pool. Oh, the pool! How thankful I am for the pool. Nonetheless, I was decently busy this week, so I haven't posted. But I have been thinking about posting a lot.

Bible study this week was incredible. We said goodbye to a friend who has been with us for this study. She moved on to a new life, a new state, and a new start. We will miss her, but being able to pray for her and think of the ways she has touched my heart was a true blessing. I can say confidently I love the women that make up my Bible study. God has brought us together to share in his word and learn from each other. Each woman is so different and yet each week we come together to pray and cry, to learn and grow. It is always such a refreshing experience.

This week also at Bible study, I was introduced to a blog, audreycaroline.blogspot.com. In two days time, I have read every single entry and cried my way through a beautiful story of struggle and faith. It's always beneficial when you can see stories of real life women where God is weaving himself into their stories and showing his truth. I am blown away by how much a blog about a little unborn person can evoke so many emotions. If you want to cry and praise God at the same time, check out the blog.

My parents have been in Africa for 3 days now. Even though I don't see them when they are at home, I talk to at least one of them every day now. Three days without any emails, texts, or phone calls. I pray for them and think about them, but I miss them! I know God is working through them in Africa. Still, I worry. I can't get the text that says, "We're fine!" And, when something happens that reminds me of my mom (this happens several times a day), I can't call her to talk about it. It's so weird. This trip is a blessing for all of us but I will be thrilled when they make it back to America.

I don't know that I have anything profound to say so I think I will just sign off for the day. Maybe more will come to me tomorrow. Until then, I will just enjoy the lazy Saturday.

Here's to lazy Saturday pool adventures!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Thank Heavens for Friday!

Wow! This week has been so great, but I don't think my body could handle much more. I am completely worn out from work and kids club. How fun! Tonight we conclude kids club. Without unforseen rain, we should have a fun time outside with stations for the kids and their families to enjoy each others' company. Eric and I will be serving world foods. It should be a great place to make contact with lots of families.

I had a touching moment yesterday. I had a woman come apologize to me for a comment that she had made earlier. This comment was something that upset me a little at the time, but I had moved on and not really thought about it. She pulled me aside to make a formal apology, and it really touched my heart. I had read the verses in Matthew tons of times about being speedy to reconsile yourself to your neighbor and always thought that meant in BIG cases with HUGE disputes. But the kindness this woman showed and the good example she set by apologizing for something so small really had a big impact on me. It made me think about how powerful our words are and how carefully I should guard my tongue and keep all of my words in check. It was just a beautiful moment for me.

Today is a big day at work. We officially decided to stop taking applications for fall. We are already hearing plenty of comments, but I ultimately think it is a good decision. I am anxious to see how it is represented by those not in the MU community.

One last comment... I'm all over the place today... it's Friday the 13th! For some people, this may conjur up ideas of fear or superstition. For me, it is a day of love and tradition. Eric and I got engaged on a Friday the 13th, married on a different Friday the 13th, and have officially decided that Friday the 13th is our day. We celebrate the love we share on this very special day! We are planning to have dinner tonight after Kids Club to celebrate our special day.

Here's to Friday the 13th!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Eric and I are volunteering at Kids' Club for church this week. It is incredibly fun but I am so worn out! We have fourth graders. Twenty-one fourth graders who like to climb, have piggy back rides, dance, and all-together enjoy themselves. It's fun to see Eric with the kids because all of the boys in the group just adore him. I personally feel we can never have enough examples of cool, fun guys who love the Lord and are willing to share that with kids. I mean, it's one thing to see women but quite another to see men serving in their church. Something boys don't see nearly enough of, but something that is great about kids club. There are so many men who help.

It's also really cool to see when the kids "get it." Our lesson last night was that God has compassion for all people in the world and he wants us to also show that compassion. A kid who was riding on Eric's back last night willingly gave up his spot so that a girl, who hadn't had a chance to have a ride, could get one. He gets it! I love to see them begin their journeys. They've got such a long way to go (I've got such a long way to go) but any ounce of admiration they can get now for our glorious God will plant and manifest itself later. So cool!! I will say this... by the end of this week I will be truly glad to have Saturday to rest and enjoy some time with my husband.

Other than that, not much has been happening. We had a full house of guests this weekend and have been doing kids club every night so there hasn't been much time for moving. We still have quite a way to go. I am hoping to hit the grocery store tonight, time permitting. Our cabinets are bare but we haven't had time to notice.

What a fun, unpredictable week!

Here's to no rain for kids club for the rest of the week!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Change is A-Comin

Lots of changes have been happening in my life lately. To follow up on my last post, I have a new fake tooth. Though the super glue holding the frisbee-catching tooth could have lasted a while, Dr. Miller chose not to take that chance. He fit me with a temporary crown yesterday afternoon. I will receive a permanent one in three weeks. The temporary is a bit lighter than my regular teeth so it makes the rest of my teeth look dingy if you stare too long. I try not to stare too long. In the time it takes to get the permanent crown, I am being very careful about what I eat. Right now, the gums are still a little bruised. I am hoping to wake up tomorrow to no more bruising.

Speaking of waking up, I am waking up in a new place these days! Pete, Eric, and I (along with Jack, Rodrigo, Tinkerbell, and Monkey) moved into a new duplex. It is a little more spacious and much nicer. We are enjoying the extra space, including more kitchen cabinets and a landing the boys have claimed as a "manloft." It's really all quite lovely. We are about half moved. We are also doing a little more decorating in this new place, and the boys promise that it will be MUCH cleaner. If not, evil Jess will probably rear her ugly head. On top of that, we love our new neighbors. We are in a neighborhood with quite a few kids and pets. The neighbors have almost all introduced themselves and seem to be upstanding people. It's been a great move so far, it's just going a little slower than I would like.

We also have changes in our office. We are doing interviews for several positions. I know change is unending and necessary. It's still hard. Hard to see people leave, to try to fill the shoes of those who are moving on. Hard to guess the dynamics of what could be if we hire someone new. It's incredibly exciting to see all of the potential. Probably the hardest part for me is waiting to see. I try never to pray for patience even though I know I need some. I am a firm believer that the only way to get more patience is to go through more events that try your patience. Though I know God would get me through any trying event, I am still not at a place in my faith that I actively pray for those trials.

I want to write so much more but I am getting wordy. Tune in later this week for an interesting (well, interesting to me) commentary on my current Bible study. Until then, I am off.

Here' s to change

Thursday, May 22, 2008

This is Why I Don't Play Ultimate Frisbee

Interesting title? Let me explain. Last night, against my better judgment, I went with Eric to Stankowski field to play ultimate frisbee. We played for about two hours when, out of nowhere, a kid threw a hammer throw directly at my head. The frisbee crashed into my mouth, I hit the deck, and Eric found my tooth laying on the green field. I am now the owner of a busted lip and I have some 'dental super glue' holding my front tooth into my mouth.

The good news is that I have the best dentist ever. Eric and I rushed to get some milk where I could throw my tooth. Then we called Dr. Miller. He met us at his office (at nine pm, mind you) and proceeded to fix my tooth without delay. I was amazed at his kindness. I am going back in today to have it "buffed." Eventually I will need a crown overlay on the tooth.

As we left the scene of the crime, so many emotions were running through me. I was embarrassed for being the girl that didn't see the frisbee and paid the price. I was terrified of what actually occured. Worst though, is that I was also angry and frustrated that some object could have hurt my precious tooth. I felt incredibly vain. My pride actually hurt more than the nerves in my tooth. It's a tooth, right? I mean, it doesn't define who I am. I was born with it, and although I have worked to keep my teeth nice, it's not something I can really credit to my hard work that I have nice teeth. Genetics and dentistry have made my teeth nice, not my talents and abilities. Yet, in all of this, all I could think was how much pride I take in having nice teeth. I have always (well since my multiple dental surgeries and braces and professional whitening in adolescence) been 'the girl with the good teeth.' Last night, that was taken away for a moment. I was a jack-o-lantern. It terrified me. When I realized how upset I was over something that was entirely physical-appearance-based, I became somewhat ashamed. I know it's important to take care of yourself and protect your body since it's the only one you get. Last night though, I realized how much my entire life is really all about me. Not in a good way.

So where do we go from here? Well, I am praying that God will change my priorities and make me more like him. I am also praying that dental insurance will prove its worth in the next few months. You can barely tell, except for the busted tooth, that I had a decently traumatic experience last night. Hopefully, it will change me on the inside.

Here's to boasting in the works of Christ and not in physical appearance.

Monday, May 12, 2008

No Finals for Me!

So Summer is quickly approaching. Although I am done with my Lenten Promise, I am going to try to start blogging again for my personal benefit. Yes, I am reading celebrity gossip again. But, hopefully I can still have insights in life.

First, Mother's Day was uneventful for us, with Pete, Eric, and I going to eat at Houlihan's and then hanging out at the Rec Center Pool. It was lovely. We did call Mom but she was asleep.

I got to spend some lovely time at "3 G Weekend" in Canton with Mom and Grandma. Mom and Grandma bought me some great shoes, a swimsuit, and some other great stuff. It was good just to spend some time with my mom and grandma and nobody else. I don't know how long it's been since that has happened. My gifts were appropriately "Thank-God-You're-Not-A-Mother's Day" gifts. Hopefully it will be a while before I can celebrate that holiday.

I have been watching all of the students prepare for finals. It's a funny feeling. I remeber feeling so stressed and uncertain during finals. Senior year in particular was a perilous time. Looking back now, I am so glad it is over. It really seems that every single incident in college is such a bigger deal than it becomes in the "real world." I try to be supportive and remember how dificult it really was. The lifestyle change is so huge--what a difference one year makes for post-college grads. There were parts of college I loved but I don't think I could ever go back. I will take stress-free weeks in May and going to bed at 10PM thank you very much. Good luck to all my college friends. You, too, will soon become old. And you, too, will learn to love it.

Discombulated post, but it's good to be back. Here's to a sunny day in May with no finals and no studying.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Catching Up

Well, it's been quite a while but with good reason. I was out on the road for most of last week and then worked most of the weekend. Hopefully this respite will have allowed me a great deal of introspection. Don't hold your breath.

Being on the road last week allowed me something I hadn't had in a long, long time: cable. Eric, Pete, and I don't do cable. For us, it's a wasted expense. We're not home very often and barely get to watch what we have on those precious 4 channels we do get. So, there's no reason to buy extra channels. We do rent a lot of movies (Martian Child= adorable, The Brave One= Jodi Foster goes nuts) but we have just decided it's not necessary. So what this has meant for me throughout lent is that I have had no temptation for E! Entertainment Television, Vh1's Best Week Ever, or any of the other multitude of gossip shows. On Monday when I went to see mom and dad, I saw all of those options and was completely overwhelmed. And what does my mom do? Turns on "The Soup" on E, of course. Well, no one argues with their Momma, right!? OK, so maybe I am using her as an excuse. She did say I could turn it. But I watched 20 minutes of Soup. It's funny, it's interesting, and it's against the rules in lent. Oops.

I had another "oops" moment last week. I was standing in line to buy bananas and chicken breasts at Wal-Mart and before I realized that I had picked up People, flipped to Christina Aguilara's baby photos, and looked at every page. Yeah, oops. I really did this without any thought. That's the sad part. Her nursery was adorable and I loved every second. But it was hard to feel guilty for something I didn't realize I had done until it was over. I know there should be a religious discussion inserted here about the relevance of that statement, but I will spare you. Mostly I will tell you that I have held on to that one piece of gossip all week and shared it with the world as a talking point. Why is that? Why do I feel I have to talk about that sort of stuff, even when I have committed not to even be looking at it?

The Oscars also happened last night. I love movies. LOVE movies. And I love dresses. And beautiful hair, and costly jewels borrowed just for the night. I love the whole thing. So I allowed myself, guilt-free, to watch the Oscars. I got on oscar.com today to watch the fashion, but I did not get on any sites to see what they thought about the fashion or any other gossip for that matter. It's a tough journey.

I am doing a study right now on learning how to pray. Why is it that talking about other people to other people comes so easy but talking to God about anything comes so difficult? He is our maker, creator, father, resting place, shepherd, and so much more. Yet, it's hard for most of us to even feel competent enough to pull together a two-minute conversation with this amazing deity. To me, the struggle comes from many places. One, being a busy person myself, I figure the creator of this and every universe has to be busy. Why does he want to hear how much I adore him, or why I am frustrated, or what I need. He knows the basics. He needs to spend his time worrying about Sudan or babies addicted to drugs, not to a small-town, relatively comfortable, self-centered working wife, right? Plus, sometimes prayer reveals what's really in my heart and sometimes I don't want to know. I mean, it makes me realize how much I worry about silly things. I want to have eloquent, deeply meaningful prayers worthy of being cross-stitched onto some old lady's pillow. Instead, I come out sounding like a bratty teenager. I just want to be more. I guess that's what it comes down to. I can't pray until I am more and I can't be more until I pray for God's guidance. I must overcome that little annoyance called pride. UGH!

Here's to humility. JWS

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Valentine's Day

I don't have too much to write on this Valentine's Day. It's pretty exciting to have my first Valentine's Day as a married woman! I was never a big fan of Valentine's Day in years past. This year, though, it makes me very appreciative of the wonderful husband I have and the times we get to share every day.

The gossip thing has its ups and downs. I have to turn my head from computer screens in my office or strategically tune people out throughout the day but I am really not missing the celebrity gossip. I have no idea where the celebs will be for Valentine's Day tonight or what they bought their sweeties. I am not upset about this.

The everyday gossip is harder to control. I think gossip and complaining go hand in hand. I hear myself starting a lot of sentences with, "ugh! You'll never believe what this person said to me," which is both a mix of gossip ("let me tell you how much better I am than this person") and complaint ("let me tell you how much worse my situation is than anyone elses"). Ultimately I think it comes to ridding your life, and vocabulary, of the negative wastes. I mean, I have found I have a lot of free time to think about my life, my finances, my faith, and so many other topics when I am not wasting my energy on negativity. I read a caption today that said, "Celbrity photos are good, bad celebrity photos are better." We watch celebrities because we want to see them screw up, I think. We want to see how we are so much better off than they are, even with their fame, money, status, etc. I have to become a more positive person.

On a different note, I have been totally bummed for the past few weeks because I have lost my Bible. I am not sure if it is in a car, shoved in a box from moving, shoved in a room from cleaning, or missing altogether. Still, I need it. I am getting sick of online scripture. And I might just buy a new one, but it won't have the commentary and notes and highlighting that the old one has. I'm totally bummed (not to be negative:-)) and I have to find a new solution soon.

May all of you enjoy the love of those around you today, whether it be your family, significant others, or just truly basking in the love of your creator. Here's to a day remembering that each one of us really is loved...JWS

Monday, February 11, 2008

Week Two: Harder than I Thought

Between going to the Midwest Barista Regional Championship (which was very fun, everyone should attend!), getting sick, and doing the traditional Sunday stuff, I haven't written in a while. I am so ready for cold and flu season to be over! Sheesh!
Anyway, as far as my quest for No Gossip goes, it is a little more difficult in some ways than I anticipated. I am trying to cut out both gossip on a local level and especially celebrity gossip. The tricky part about the celebrity gossip (my main focus for now) is that it is EVERYWHERE! I mean, EVERYWHERE! Radio, regular news, front page of news websites. It's impossible to live in today's society without hearing somebody talk bad about somebody else--particularly about somebody they've never met. Though I am taking this challenge very seriously, I am not going to the extreme measure of turning off the radio. I am changing TV channels, and trying to ignore websites and checkstand magazines. But this stuff is everywhere!
On the personal gossip side, I found myself writing an email today specifically with the sole purpose of badmouthing someone. Not the mean, lying sort of badmouth, but the everyday, I-can't-believe-this-person-isn't-the-exact-person-I-want-them-to-be sort of thing. The good news is--I deleted it. Hooray for small steps!

My task reminds me greatly of the sermon my pastor (who tells us never to introduce him as pastor) Keith preached this Sunday. It was about Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gesthemane and, specifically, about temptation. He talked about how the Bible is our first line of defense against temptation, since it tells us the specifics of Satan's tactics. It tells us how, when, and who will tempt us. It blows all of his methods right out of the water. The best way to avoid temptation is to know when it's coming and ready your defenses. So I started to think about when I am most succeptible to temptation. I was looking at all forms of temptation, not just gossip. I dug back into my life to think about when I gave in in the big ways. Keith told the story of a girl who was a committed Christian who met a man and slowly turned her life to Islam, cutting off her family and all of her friends. And I think this demonstrates greatly the fact that the devil doesn't really have to tempt us when we are not following him. He really has to lure us when we are following our commitment to Jesus. Looking back at my times in college, the times when I started to follow closely with God and push for a deeper relationship is when Satan really let me have it. Up until yesterday, I couldn't figure out why I had such deep swings in college--from heavy commitment to complete abandonment. Then it hit me--I was not preparing myself, even amongst my great commitment, for the sneaky, small temptations the devil would use to lure me away from the good stuff. Had I prepared for temptation, or even thought through some of the small, bad decisions for sin, I would have realized that the riches of God were so much greater. But that is the trouble... Satan is studying our every weakness while we are not preparing ourselves for the battle.

I have now realized that when I get cocky in my faith, Satan gives me little slips to make me fall away. When I am firmly planted, the devil gives me doubt. When I am solidly standing above gossip, Satan makes me lonely and gives me someone who just LOVES to talk to me about all the stuff other people are doing wrong. And when I am on top of the world, Satan lets me know just how much better I am than everyone else, and the pride sinks in.

I don't know all the answers on how to defeat sin. But I do know two things: 1) It's all in the Good Book and up to me to find at 2) Knowing my weaknesses is the very first step into making them strong.

Matt 26:41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak."

1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Luke 22:46 "'Why are you sleeping?' he asked them, "Get up and pray so that you may not fall into temptation."

This has been incredibly long and a little more philosophical than I intended. But when you aren't gossiping about others, you have a lot of time to think about yourself. Here's to a lent of self-exploration...JWS

Thursday, February 7, 2008

So lent started yesterday. I have found that, in my life, one of the hardest things for me to rid my life of, is GOSSIP. It's awful. Maybe it's because I am a woman, and, while the men in my office chat about SportsCenter, we women are fully engaged in the latest celbri-scandal. Nonetheless, I have decided it is sin and is detrimental to my growth, both with God, and as a person. I have decided that lent is a great time to start weeding out the gossip in my life. So, for the next 40 days, I will be very strict with myself on this issue. That is not to say I will not continue to pursue a life without gossip after lent. This is just a starting point.

I have created this blog for two reasons. One, I need accountability. So, this will allow me to freely talk about how this pursuit is going for me and force me to be honest with the online world about this sin. Two, I will need something to do when I am not scouring one of the multiple gossip sites I have committed to memory or headed over to one of my co-workers' desks to discuss the aformentioned sites. Instead, I will be bloggin here or trying to find more beneficial readings online and posting about those.

I am horrible at coming up with creative online handles or names for blogs. Thus, the name is just my goal: a time of lent without gossip. This name may outdate itself, but for now, it works. Feel free, if you happen to find this blog, to post about my journey or about yours. You can also post interesting articles, verses, or other media for me to check out. I may be writing several times a day.

Here's to an enlightened 40 days, sans the gossip. JWS


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Friday, July 21, 2017

Holy Spirit

blinded by your symmetry
such a friendly fool was me
what to believe and what to see
where to draw the border

minutes later seconds flat
walking with a dog named cat
is this where it's really at?
is life just some long foreplay?

holy spirit holy spirit holy spirit

I practiced in my father's chair
blowing smoke rings in the air
for all I know they're still up there
spinning in some vortex

it ranges over all the earth
breathing hot and giving birth
then they tell you what you're worth
but you're only getting older

holy spirit holy spirit holy spirit

sometimes at night I stay awake
wondering if I've got what it takes
to point the finger at the fakes
but then I just roll over

I let it all roll over
we let it all roll over.

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District 7

Assets Interoperability Assets for District 7 FYI
Public safety agencies and communications assets utilizing IPSC's communications system.
  • Towers: are the IPSC Trunked Radio system towers
    Counties included in Dist. 7:
    • Vermillion
    • Parke
    • Putnam
    • Vigo
    • Clay
    • Owen
    • Sullivan
    • Greene
      Many EMS agencies fall under the Fire Dep. in the same area, therefore both are not necessarily mapped.


text:
header image

Including All Children and Families – Expanding Partnerships

Including All Children and Families – Expanding Partnerships is a multi-faceted project centred around children with diagnosed disabilities, developmental delays, or who are at risk for developmental delays. The project is broken down into five separate studies of different sizes and conducted with different data collection methodologies.

Our project includes five studies (Fig. 1) :

 including all children and families

Case Study

In this study also entitled “Experiences of Parents in Rural and Remote British Columbia Who Have a Child with a Disability or Developmental Delay Mary Stewart conducted face-to-face interviews with families in rural and remote communities raising a child with a disability or developmental delay.

Detailed description of Case Study

Eight parents living in rural and remote British Columbia, who have children on the Infant Development Program of BC under the age of 3, were interviewed to share their experiences of raising a child with a diagnosed disability or identified developmental delay. Data was categorized and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis and a systematic approach. The analysis generated 13 sub themes that included exploration of topics such as: rural versus remote, the value of interpersonal relationships, intense emotions, construction of disability, travel considerations and issues, financial burden, and service providers. These sub themes were then captured under three broad themes which included: community experiences, parenting experiences, and family experiences.

Parents discussed how they valued living in a ‘small town’ with its close proximity to local services, as this allowed them time with family and friends and opportunities to participate in outdoor and recreational experiences. This closeness also provided them the opportunity to develop close relationships with neighbors as well as local service providers. Consistent with the literature on raising a child with a disability or developmental delay, the parents in this study expressed that it was an intensely emotional experience. Parents also described the challenges of navigating complex systems of care that were accessed both within and outside of community. Additional costs were associated with the extensive travel required for care and this was further impacted by time away from community and family. While the parents valued having a ‘caring’ relationship with the local service provide (the infant development consultant) they also recognize the specialized expertise of professionals in larger urban centers.

Parents Survey Study: MPOC- (Measure of Process of Care)

This study, entitledParents’ Perceptions of Family Centred Care,” was a mailed out survey asking about parents’ perceptions of how family-centered practices influence their early intervention service delivery, and how this type of service delivery relates to other areas of their life; for example, their sense of hope and well-being and their own experiences of parenting, including stress levels as parents of a child with a disability or with a developmental delay.

Detailed description of Parents Survey Study

Family-centered practice is well documented to be the most beneficial method of service delivery as it is related to promoting well-being for families. The “Parents’ Survey- MPOC” study looked a parent’s perceived experience with family centered service delivery as well as parent well being, life satisfaction and level of stressors. The study utilized the Measure of Process of Care -20, developed by King, King and Rosenbaum in 1995 at MacMaster University, Canada, together with other measures asking parents to rate their sense of hope, stress and effectiveness as parents raising children at-risk for developmental delays or with disabilities. Twenty-nine parents responded providing rich information about access to services as well as feelings of competency. The parents in the study had children from birth to age 12 years and all participated in one of 4 provincial programs: IDP/AIDP/ASCDP/SCDP. Data analyses includes descriptive and non-parametric analyses (e.g. correlation measures between the different questionnaires), and it aims to include regression analyses to find out predictors for family-centred and overall parent well-being for this specific sample of participant parents.

Calendar Study

The study entitled “Geo-Ethnography – Parents Access to Services,” is the follow up to the Parents’ Survey study, had participants fill in a calendar to represent a month in their lives in terms of access to services for their child with additional needs. A telephone interview found out from parents what helped, or was challenging about some of the specific examples they provided in the calendar.  The study will create visual “maps” representing distances travelled and the complex daily schedules of these families.

Detailed description of Calendar Study

The geo-ethnography study is a continuation of the data collected in the MPOC survey study. Of the 29 parents that completed the MPOC survey, 14 parents were approached who indicated their willingness to be re-contacted for a follow-up study.  To-date, 10 parents have confirmed their desire to participate and by the end of the data collection stage, up to 10 parents will have filled out a calendar covering a one month time period indicating the date, location, length of time, distance and mode of travel for all the programs, services and appointments they participate in for their child. The participants are also participating in an in-depth, follow-up telephone interview with a researcher (after their calendar is completed) where they share examples in responding to questions about “what is helpful” from service providers and services in their community, and what has hindered these activities, or in which situation participants have experienced challenges. Data analyses will utilize “critical incident” methodology.

Parents’ Focus Groups

In the study entitled  “Parents’ Experiences in Accessing their Child’s Early Intervention Data, ”these groups, parents and researchers met to discuss parents’ experiences in accessing their child’s developmental information or records in early intervention or child development services. We were specifically interested in listening to what parents’ had to say about the possibility of accessing an electronic database such as” LINKED-DISC”.

Detailed description of Parents’ Focus Groups

Seven focus groups were held in Vancouver, North and Interior regions of British Columbia where parents were invited to participate and share their experiences and ideas about how they currently access their children’s early intervention data and their preferred choices if access to an electronic database were a possibility. Participant parents had to have a child ages birth to 12 years, and be currently involved in one of the 4 early intervention/supported child development programs of BC. Qualitative content analyses are in progress to identify salient themes and sub-themes. Participant and community summaries will be uploaded in the weeks to follow.

Service Providers Study

This study entitled “Service Providers’ Experiences in Providing Family-Centred Services” used the MPOC-SP (Measure of Process of Care for Service Providers). In addition to demographic information for early intervention and supported child development service providers, participants were asked to share their perceptions on what works and what the barriers are that challenge them. They also discussed what they see as opportunities in providing family-centred services for parents in urban, rural and remote areas in British Columbia. 62 participants filled in the surveys and 14 of them were interviewed for further information.

Detailed description of Service Providers Study

This study examined the experiences of early intervention and supported child development service providers who work with families with children who are at risk for developmental delays or with a disability. The programs where these service providers work self-describe as family-centred, where parents work in collaboration and consultation with their service providers in identifying their children’s needs. In Phase 1 of the study 62 participants completed three online questionnaires. The first questionnaire was “The Measure of Process and Care Questionnaires – Service Providers or MPOC-SP (Woodside et al., 1998). The second and third questionnaires are entitled, respectively, “You and Your Family” and “You and Your Community”. The questions asked inquired about the needs service providers identify when working with families from a program and community perspective. In Phase 2, a group of 14 participants followed up the study with a telephone interview and were asked to talk about examples of what was helpful, and what hindered their work with families throughout the different communities they serve in rural and urban locations in BC.

NICU Study

The study, “An Interdisciplinary Study of the Trajectories of At-Risk Infants and Children,” is being completed in 3 phases. Using linked population databases, the study examines health and educational trajectories between birth and 8 years of age of children born between 1996 and 1997 in British Columbia. The study focuses on potential differences in health and development outcomes between children who were accepted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), levels II or III and identified as “at-risk,” and those who did not receive this treatment and identified as “non risk.”

Detailed description of NICU Study

This study analyzes the health trajectories and educational outcomes of 71,698 children born in a two-year cohort. Children were all born in BC between January 1996 and December 1997 and they have been continuously registered with the MSP (BC Medical Services Plan) at least until the end of 2003.Children were categorized into “at-risk” group if they were admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and into “non-risk” group if they did not undergo NICU treatment at birth. For a brief report summarizing these children’s characteristics, please click here. A more detailed description of the cohort and the process of linking data from different population files is included in the full report on the same site. Analyses of health trajectories point to persistent differences between “at-risk” and “non-risk” children. For example, NICU children and their families access more mental health services right after birth and this disparity appears again when children are 4-5 years of age. Preliminary analyses linking education and health databases also point towards significant differences in educational outcomes between NICU and non-NICU children. Children who spent over 5 days in NICU after birth are more likely not to meet expectations in the Grade 4 Foundational Skills Assessment (FSA) for reading, writing and numeracy.

Quick Study facts

  • Study 1, “Case Study” specifically sought information and the voice from families living in rural and remote locations in BC’s Interior and North Regions.
  • Studies 2 and 2.a., “Parents’” Survey Study and “Calendar” Study included participants living in smaller urban locations in BC”s Interior and Northern Regions
  • Study 3, “Parents’ Focus Groups” included participants living in urban and/or rural communities in the Vancouver Coastal, Fraser, Interior and North Regions
  • Study 4, “Service Providers,” will include participants living in urban and/or rural communities in the Vancouver Coastal, Vancouver Island, Fraser, Interior and North Regions
  • Study 5, “NICU” includes data on children’s health and education that has been retrieved from provincial databases.

 Study Updates

  • Study 1, “Case Study” has been completed, with a first manuscript currently under preparation
  • Study 2 and Study 2.a.  “Parents” Survey Study and “Calendar” Study are still in progress with data analyses underway for the “Parents’” Survey Study “
  • Study 3, “Parents’ Focus Groups” is in the last stages of data analyses with participant and community summaries soon to be uploaded.
  • Study 4, “Service Providers” is currently in the data collection stages of phase 1 and 2.
  • Study 5, “NICU” study has recently transitioned from phase 1, the analyses of children’s health trajectories, to phase 2, the data linkage between health and educational data, comparing the trajectories of non-risk vs. at-risk children.

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a place of mind, The University of British Columbia

Including all Children and Families Expanding Partnerships Project
273-2125 Main Mall
Faculty of Education - Library Block Building,
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
Tel: 604-827-5513

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Friday, March 27, 2009

Fnuff Is Enough

Burnt Cookie Fnuff.

Yes, that's actually the name of this av.

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After seeing Achariya's Griffin post of last week, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I moseyed on down to Tokushi's Avatars myself. It took me a week. Damn, what a waste. I've never before slept on a purchase, but the only thing that stopped me from CLEANING OUT THE ENTIRE VENDOR was the fact that these were 900l each. And even now I'm planning on going back for the Anubis. And the Dragon. And the Wolfhound. And possibly even the Armadillo...

It has an included HUD, and with that you can adjust eye colour, facial expression and the tail and ear positions. It comes with this shape, the best way to wear it - as well as a female and a male one for those who prefer to go without the digigrade arms and legs. For me that's most of the fun. It's also a challenge to wear clothes like this, but I couldn't resist the urge to Winter him up a little.

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Normally I'd get all annoyed and stuffs if you said I was "cute..." but even I have to admit that I went "Squeeee!" upon log in, having forgotten that I was wearing this when I logged out. Not my little girl though, she was most insistent that I was scary, and she wanted to see Winter again. Because Vampires are less scary than imaginary creatures apparently modelled after a Walt Disney possum dream, obviously.

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Okay, so I'm not a Fur. But some things are just too... damn.... cool. And that's what SL is all about, right? The Cookie Fnuffs come in 6 different colours - flavours, really - and I came very close to buying the bright pink one with rainbow sprinkles. I think I'm skirting the far reaches of masculinity enough with the Burnt one though. There's a variety of fantastical creatures, and Elusyve bought the Qwhilla which she'll be posting too. 900l is a hard hit, agreed. But the workmanship, colours, scripts, and just plain joyful imagination which has been poured into each one makes it worthwhile. And with a little bit of effort you can customise them to make them into your vision. It hit me afterwards that the Fnuff resembled the character "Stitch" - so if you see a short brown dude in a pink hawaiian shirt at the Rainbow Tiger or The Ark during the week chances are that's gonna be me.

And I have to give props whilst I'm here to Harper Beresford of the House of Rfyre for taking my own words and completely owning me with them on yesterday's post. I'd still be "preening" today if I wasn't laughing so damn hard.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Rfyre's Bytterwynds

This is what this post would look like if it were taken from the House of Rfyre blog.

Raven was busying herself, when she heard a noise coming from her studio. She looked up in startlement, grabbed her dagger and stealthily made her way up the stairs. She crept through the door, made ready to pounce - then stopped. "Oh, no..." she groaned. "Who the hell let YOU in here?" The white haired vampire stopped rummaging through the reams of fabric, looked up and grinned. "Don't you think it's about time you started making these things in pink?" Raven shook her head in bemusement, turned on her heel and walked from the room muttering "I've got to get the exterminators in..."

Good luck keeping me away from these kilts, though. This is Bytterwynds, the Highland warrior set that was created a couple of months ago in plaid. It's just been released in a gorgeous moss green, a subtle tan and this deep sexy black. The black at the moment is only available at the RFL show at the Rfyre stand on the Black Sea sim that they are sponsoring, and no word yet on it's general release.

Bytterwynd 3

You can see the amazing detail in the celtic knotwork throughout this whole design. The studs have the sheen of age embedded into this black leather.

Bytterwynd 4

The best thing about these sets is that they come with plenty of options. There are two lengths of kilt, a shoulder scarf, a choker, three styles of tunic and five lengths of pants - bootcut and regular. You also get these wicked arm bands with or without the daggers.

Bytterwynd 2

If you aren't a freak for kilts... then what are you doing on my blog? No, seriously - the leggings that come with these sets aren't your usual cut corner glitch pants, and you can wear them as a configuration quite happily. There's no detail lost in the lacings or the leatherwork.

Bytterwynd 1

This is a quality set all round, and you need this in your life. You can get the moss and the tan at the Rfyre mainstore. But if you want the black before everyone else make sure you go to the RFL clothing fair, as it's only open for a few more days.

Also shown - the new Miguel skin from Belleza, which I'll be featuring soon.
Lynne hair by Exile, created for the Victoria Bushfires Appeal.
Boots are from SFD, LaPointe and Bastchild, and Eclipse Development.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Rainbow Koi

I'm a sucker for the unusual and beautiful in SL. And why not, we have that other place for boring things we have to say, wear and do right? So when Selos Dae of TRAP releases a new skin I'm there in hours regardless. But when it's this amazing?

Positioning. Target in sights. Locked. Loaded. Acquired. I think it took 47 seconds after seeing the feeds.

This is a re-release of the Koi skin that Selos originally created for the Harajukubox Skin Faire of '08. I bought this blue, and my soul cried when I couldn't afford the fatpack. As it was an exclusive for three days only.

I wore this skin everywhere for weeks. And I was so thrilled to have an almost unique creation, but at the same time sad that this work of art would be mostly lost to the light of day. Selos recently asked on Flickr if the owners of this skin minded if it was released on new colours. Avarice warred with my sense of justice...and godamnit. The good side won. So I and the other people who were lucky enough to get this originally gave their yea.

The rewards are evident. Each day - the grid gets just a little more breathtaking. And a more fantastical place to be.

The skin is 1500l and you get 2 shades in each pack. This is the Rainbow/Fae pack, and you also get clothing layer options for covering your bits. I decided to use them and spare you that today. There's 5 tones, from the white to this drow shade. All eyes in this post are by Ruina Kessell of House of Ruin, all poses by Dove Swanson of [LAP] and the hair is SUMMON WINTER by Helena Stringer of the Stringer Mausoleum. And yes, I'm still capitalising that name. Deal with it.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Dirt 1

Name's Dirt. Dirt Tookit. Biker. But behind my back everyone refers to me as THE BIG DOUCHE. Served time for a few minor incidents involving lead pipes and PVP players. Decorated them with it. Out now, and here to show you the true biker style. From someone whose been on a bike in reality. I am fully stylish, see? I've wrapped bike chains around my wrists. A leather jacket and some gloves and now I'm ready to call myself a fashion blogger.

Dirt 4

Don't mind me squatting down here, my knees are fucked from all the prison BJ's. What can I say, I had a great head of hair when I went in. Nice brown swept back quiff. I think I made it fall out when I inked in these tatts. Plus down here the stench of all the urine puddles in the workshop corners isn't as strong. That's something real bikers know. The ones that are legal drinking age, at least.

Dirt 2

I was really stoked to find these CE Cubic Effect pants. My leathers were splitting open, and these ones I could unzip and roll down to show off my gorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgeous waist. I know you all want me, you bargain basement ....girls. Stop hassling me when I step outside, it makes my weekly trips to real life annoying. Seeing as that's the only highlight I really get.

Dirt 3

Of course you aint a real biker without genuine biker's crack. That's the one thing these pants are failing me on, I do my best talking out of my arse. Especially about world events I know nothing about except what I saw on the EQ2 forums. I know what you are all thinking, that this look really is a big NO. Well, it is. But when you get involved in things that have nothing to do with you... then you can expect to hear that word quite a bit, can't you? In fact... I think you would expect to hear it every time you reach out for a slice of "pie."

Oh yeah, by the way - Crockett and Tubbs called. They want their pimp suits back.

This was Dirt Tookit. One more post in the same look and I can call myself a real blogger.

You have to feel sorry for the poor designers on my badger list. Especially Zaara Kohime. Two weeks, she's been trying to get these men's version of her Isis shirt out. But she made the mistake of asking me what I thought. And of course - I wasn't happy until it was sheer. Sheer enough to show off tatts, like the women's version. So she called me a slut a few times... eh, I can live with it to get goodness like this wrapped around myself. You'd be surprised how far I'd go, really.

Isis in Blue

Actually, if you know me? You wouldn't be surprised AT ALL.

Isis in Leaf

I'm just mad about the messy tuck under at the bottom, and the way the collar droops open. Even the buttons are painted on in different positions, I raved on about them alone to Zaara's bemusement for a good few minutes.

Isis in White

These will be released in her store over the next day. She has three packs for sale, a Neutrals - Cream, Black and White; a Darks - Navy, Forest Green and Brown, and the one I'm all over, the Brights - Blue, Leaf and a Light Tan. It gets even better, there are two versions of the shirt. A normal opaque one but still with this same awesome hand drawn texture, and that comes on all layers. And then the bonus that I should be ashamed to admit I nagged for, these sheer ones which come on a jacket layer. So you can feature your most badass tattoos like this Eowyn from Garden of Ku. And if you decide you like them, then please - let Zaara know. So I don't have to leave SL forever if they aren't liked?

Poses are from the new Boy Bloggers set from [LAP]

Friday, March 6, 2009

When A Skin Isnt.

Nomine. Raw Skin.

Poser Raw 4
[LAP] Caught

Some things you just HAVE to have.

And it's perfect for my response to Achariya's Posemaker Blogger Challenge.

I have a confession to make. I never remember to credit my poses. Sometimes this is because I've bought them months ago from obscure little Japanese stores that also sell robocat avatars and urinals, and I only find them in my inventory by the little running man icon. Other times it's because I've only remembered all the disparate pieces of my outfit by using the "(worn)" trick, and of course the pose I'm using doesn't show up. Probably because IT'S wearing ME. But the general truth is I'm a barely contained sack of forgetfulness, and when you combine lazy with easily distract - ooohhh...... something shiny! Where was I? Oh yes. I suck. It's true.

Poser Raw 6
[LAP] Male Blogger 3

So Achariya's rather pointed stick to the gonads of the blogworld stirred me into action as well. Male poses are hard to find done really well in SL, and whenever I come cross any that don't put my "freakishly long arms and slender shoulders" - as a friend described them recently - into my hips then I buy up big. And no one does this better than Dove Swanson of Long Awkward Pose. Ok, yeah - I guess a disclaimer is necessary here. She's one of my best friends, but if I didn't respect what she was doing then I would KICK HER TO THE KERB AND STEP OVER HER FACE LAUGHING AS I LET THE RATS GNAW HER CARCASS. It's not a paean to her as a person, this post is about the technical expertise, research and humour that goes into every pose in the [LAP] portfolio.

Poser Raw 3
[LAP] Boiling Over

The male avatar mesh is unforgiving, but she still manages to manipulate it into natural contours and expressive positions. And avoids the breaks in the shoulder joints even whilst reaching the arms up above the head, and that takes a buttload of skill and care to do. I have her earliest poses "Dude I" all the way up through "Dude VIII" to her brand new "Boy Bloggers" set - yes, there's over 150 male poses - and the progression is amazing. You can see how much she has learnt over a year and she's poured all that into all these static poses. When she finally moves into animations and AO's she's going to take over the world.

Poser Raw 5
[LAP] Fall Away

Dove and her companion Lawless McBride spend hours researching pictures in magazines, television and the internet always trying to find something interesting and innovative that will translate into SL. This doesn't end at individual poses, her couples and group sets are also meticulously made and hours are spent testing them. And I know it's hours as I often get dragged along to donate my pixels so she can reposition and tweak. If you were one of the twenty people who were at the final adjustments for the epic "Takin' Over The World" set at Christmas time then you know what I mean. A simple fifteen minute ad shoot turned into a two visit three hour marathon until Dove got all the positions exactly right. She won't release anything that's less than perfect, and this dedication that shows in all her finished works.

Poser Raw 2
[LAP] Flipped

But my favourite thing about Long Awkward Poses is that they are interesting and filled with emotion. From handstands to emo sulks to diva style to the spectacular buttshot one that Dove made just to gross people out, you won't find any other poses that allow your avatar to express itself with more playfulness and joy. Or attitude. Or despair. There are a lot of general modelling animations on the grid that display the av perfectly for runway or catalogue work, but if I want to take a picture with meaning, interest and passion then I go straight to my overstuffed [LAP] folder.

Poser Raw 1
[LAP] The Winter - yes, of course this one is my favourite!

Lastly, I also need to veer just a little towards personal mush by reminding everyone how generous Dove is as a business owner. She donates her profits and her time to vital causes. She created an AO which is free to all newcomers (and legions of freshly created alts.) And she's just launched a "Blogger's Appreciation Program" with a purpose created set of poses for both men and women which she's giving away. So all this is why I'd be a fan of [LAP] even if I'd never met Ms Swanson. Okay, so I wouldn't know just how hard she works, but I'd still be all over the end product like Mike Tyson at a beauty pageant. And if you look at the feeds recently you'll see that I'm certainly not the only one that thinks this way.

So if you see me do another post without crediting the poses ever again, feel free to hit me. Odds are though, that you'll find each and every one of them at Long Awkward Pose.

Monday, March 2, 2009

So I logged in one afternoon several weeks ago, and I was immediately pounced upon by a frenchman of my acquaintance, Cheyn Lane.

Already I know a lot of ladies reading this would have gladly swapped places with me. Perhaps not all of them though - because once I rezzed from my blind teleport I was dazzled by GAMER GEEK HEAVEN in the form of the store *Boof* - a Nintendo themed land where Yoshi frolics, Mario and Luigi jump for coins like the mercenary money grubbing tradesmen they are and Princess Peach stands around looking just as helpless as usual, perhaps waiting for Lara Croft to give her some lessons in hardening the fuck up. No, seriously - I love the Mario Brothers. It's just that my sympathies of that era leaned more towards Sonic. I think it's the hairstyle.

The store is owned by Thena Claxton and she's a massive fan, so much so that you can see the love she's poured into everything she's made with the Mario motif. This belt I'm wearing is the Luigi special, and you can get both brothers. Included with it is all sorts of goodies. You get a hat, moustache, a mushroom spawner, the "?" boxes that you jump at and they generate coins for you, but best of all the belt and the plunger. The belt is awesome because every little Mario icon on it is clickable, and you get a soundbite from the video game and a heady rush of 264 bit teenage memories along with it. And when you click the fireflower you get to shoot fireballs! SQUEEE!!!! And the thing I like best about the plunger is that you get two versions, one for your back and the other one a damage enabled attack weapon. So yes, I've been able to boast that I can actually beat people to death with my plunger....

Speaking of being a fan, I was happily handing over my heart, soul and opposable thumbs to Twiggy Whippet when I saw the wall that has her Henley Mark Long Sleeve Shirts all over it. Half of the new design duo spectacular Whippet and Buck, she's done something wonderful. She has made this shirt in every colour there is. Not just the ones that the men's clothing industry deems appropriate for male use. So we get to decide rather than having red, black, grey and navy blue thrust upon us as WHAT YOU MUST WEAR RAWR! Of course I bought up all the shades of pink, as well as teal, bordeaux and chartreuse. But I left my comfort zone with my second most hated colour of orange, shown here under the shade name Trinidad. (Damn you, Elusyve!) I can ignore the fact that I feel like a can of Fanta because the texturing on this is just SO damn good. The wrinkles and the chest shading alone are perfectly done, but the weave on this had me pledging eternal love to Twiggy. She says she spent a long time on it, and it shows. And yes - it comes on all layers. And all for 60l!

The good thing with a solid coloured shirt is that it is the only thing that won't fight with these mad paint spattered jeans that I picked up from Root Beer at the Tableau re-opening madness from yesterday. It's early days, and I know everyone is raving over it.... and I know that the sim gets shaken up every so often... but I prefer the New Orleans on acid that it was before. If I catch those hamsters they'll have some 'splainin' to do, that's for sure. Finishing at my feet I am wearing the Eighth Wonder of Second Life - the 30 linden chucks from the House of Curio. These people keep making shoes that rank amongst the best on the grid, then they charge ridiculously low prices for them. These have eleven colour change options and come in both male and female sizes. So you really have no excuse to not wear them, and indeed keep the SLX page bookmarked so you can endow the next poorly dressed noob that accosts you.

Of course one classic game reference deserves another, so I had to drag out the Pacman necklace from Ducknipple which has been lurking in my inventory for almost a year now. With my beloved Studio Sidhe colour and letter change Alphabeads bracelet slipping over my hands as I'm parrying with my plunger. (Yes, I gave you a free shot there, make all the jokes you like.) And finishing up top this outfit I'm all shaggy and stuffs in the Nyu hair from Rock Candy. Which I found the way I do all the best hair shops in SL - I jealously and discreetly inspect whatever Lawless is wearing and have ported there before the dust has even settled from his departure. How he manages to be on for like.. an half an hour a week and still know all the sekrits drives me mad. I think I may have trumped him with something I know he - and no one else - would ever wear, as according to my work colleague Alex looking over my shoulder as I type this "Wow.....just wow. Do you have to review that? Because the term "ugly as sin" comes to mind. Even the star looks sad to be stuck on the front of that stinking turd of an outfit ." I think this is just one more example of how the living have no taste, and I'm more than happy to hand out his address and phone number to any of the designers I've featured here. Because heaven's knows he couldn't be talking about the glorious hot mess of an outfit I've assembled with them.... could he?

P.S. Yes, I know a lot of girls are gamers. I'm just trying to be arrogant and divisive. Love me anyways.

P.P.S Forgot again. Almost all the poses in this are from the new [LAP] Male Blogger set, created especially for we fashion types to showcase clothing properly with no twists or breaks in the clothing. Sooooooo incredibly win it's ridiculous.


text:
Odisha’s four freedom fighters felicitated by President Ramnath Kovind

Newly elected President Ramnath Kovind felicitated four freedom fighters from Odisha on the occasion of Kranti Diwas. The President honoured and felicitated 93 freedom fighters from across the country.

The four freedom fighters are – Sahadeb Behera of Kantilo in Nayagarh district, Chakradhar Parida of Ranapur in Nayagarh, Gobardhana Acharya of Jagatsinghpur and Dadhichi Sahu of Jajpur district.

An ‘At Home’ reception for freedom fighters was hosted by the President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement. Each of the freedom fighters was gifted an electric kettle with a personalised message from Kovind.

“I extend warm greetings to you on the 75th Anniversary of the Quit India Movement. The nation is proud of our freedom fighters and salutes them. This small token is our people’s appreciation of your successful struggle against colonialism. I wish you happiness, good health and a long life,” was the President’s message on each gift.

On the occasion, the President also released a set of 8 Commemorative Postage Stamps on 75 years of 1942 Freedom Struggle.

ALSO READ: Journey of a scientist from an Odisha village to one of the planet’s leading astronomers

freedom fighters felicitated by President

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Thursday, April 03, 2008

Al Green Lay It Down

Al Green with ?uestlove
Al Green You've Got The Love I Need Babe Snippet

Al Green Lay It Down Out 27/5/08

Blue Note Press Release:

The title of Al Green's Lay It Down truly tells it like it is. Conceived as a collaboration between the soul legend and a handful of gifted young admirers from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip hop, the album is drawn from a series of inspired sessions that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green's latter-day career. The album is a refreshingly old school jam, with everyone laying down the music together, face to face, heart to heart, soul to soul.

The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop's most innovative players, drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser, the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common. Add in Brooklyn's celebrated Dap-King Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers "Spanky" Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you've got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business.

"The reason why we are doing this is because we all idolize Al Green, " declares ?uestlove. "Even today, nobody has range like him."

Green himself envisioned this project as a way to reach out to younger artists, particularly in the hip hop community, to find common musical ground and help spread his healing message of, as he likes to put it, "L-O-V-E." He gamely plunged into the world of the Roots and their posse, cutting tracks with them in New York City. His youthful collaborators took this as an opportunity to get right into Al's head, turning the sessions into a master class about how to create that sublime Al Green sound and keep it relevant for today.
As Green explains: "They didn't want to get too far out from the foundation that [Hi Records producer] Willie Mitchell and I built— Call Me, I'm Still In Love With You, Let's Stay Together." That's all good, they said, but we want to play what we hear you being about in 2008. We want to keep all of the aura, but we would like to have freedom enough to spread our wings and express ourselves. The Roots, all the guys from Philly who came up to do this stuff with us—they were incredible. I could relax because I knew the people were capable. Everyone was coming up with ideas, everybody was pitching in, everybody was helping."

It all began in 2006. ?uestlove and Poyser arranged for a get-acquainted session at Electric Lady Studio in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. As Green recalls, "That was such a session. We sketched out eight songs and really started the project. We were just spitting out songs right and left; there's no possible way I could write them all out. I was writing the verses to this one, the bridge to that one. Everybody contributed and that's why it feels so good. There were no big 'I's and little 'you's in there. All of us dreamed it up together."

That date provided basic tracks for nine out of eleven tunes. Subsequent recording took place over the next two years to accommodate the artists with whom Al wanted to work. Each session replicated the feel of that first one, with the players swapping ideas, grabbing pads and pencils to furiously scribble lyrics, singing out snatches of melodies, passing along riffs. Green himself vocalized many of the parts that the strings and horns would later play. He admits, "That's the only way I know how to work, that's what I've done all my life. You just write it from here." He taps his heart. "That's what we do every Sunday. We never write a sermon now. If you can't preach out of here"—tapping his chest again—"you have nothing to say anyway. It's all from the heart, this whole album, from start to finish."

"It's an honor to be able to work with Al Green, who I have always loved and respected, " says John Legend. "He has been an important part of black music history, and pop music history for that matter. Al really is a magical singer."

Legend had come in to sing on one track the band had worked up, but then heard an unfinished version of Stay With Me (By The Sea), a song Green had been developing with Bailey Rae. Legend immediately knew that one was meant for him. That song illustrates the cooperative spirit that distinguishes Lay It Down. "John is singing it, I'm singing it, Corinne and I are singing the background, " Green explains. "We're all included. It's personal, about my own life, but still everyone can feel what I'm talking about."

Green was especially impressed that Bailey Rae flew all the way from London to sing with him. She was just honored to be there: "I was really drawn in by Al's voice; it's so distinct, and so fluid." After she arrived, Green recalls, Corinne went straight to work: "She's a tiny little thing with a big guitar. She's just playing and singing and the musicians went to sit in, the drummer, the bassist. She wrote a verse, then I wrote a verse and we both worked on the bridge." In fact, Green insisted that Bailey Rae start it off, performing in her warm, intimate style the verse she'd just written.

Hamilton and Green perform gospel-style testifying over the slow-burning groove of the title track, and the pair engages in fierce call and response on the funky chorus to You've Got the Love I Need. "It feels good when you listen to him, " Hamilton says of Green, and Green returns the compliment: "On his records, Anthony is always singing about pleasing and satisfying his lady—I want you to be happy, I want us to be together. I've been preaching for 30 years and I said, that's right, the more we need each other, the less difference we see between us. You have to take a chance on love. I know there are some hateful people in the world that would break your heart in an instant. But the big man upstairs is saying you've got to take a chance. It's better to love and be heartbroken than never to have loved at all."

Looking back on these collaborations, Green decides: "I couldn't ask for any more than what Corinne, Anthony and John put into the album, because they came and they sung their heart. And when a person does that, I'm going to give you the best I feel too." But he offers us even more on the final track, Standing In the Rain. The arrangement is an ebullient update of classic Memphis soul and the words convey the sort of message that the Reverend Al would like to leave all of us with, from the young listeners about to discover him to the loyal fans who've followed him all these years.

"Standing in the Rain — that don't mean good times, " Green explains. "I've got afflictions, I've got trials, I've experienced all the things that can hold you back. But I refuse to be held back."

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Friday, April 18, 2008

James Knox It's My Time

James Knox It's My Time Snippets

Here's a new release I can recommend - love the guy's voice.

You can pick it up from CD Baby - here is a brief bio:

"I am a singer, songwriter, producer, and arranger in the United States.

My expertise in the music industry has benefited countless number of entertainers, musicians, and people seeking stardom.

Listed below are just a few of the productions that I have been involved in:

*Opened for the Drifters in Atlanta, Georgia for six years.
*Opened for the Tams in Atlanta, Georgia
*Inducted in the Atlanta Blues Hall of Fame in 2001
*In 2005 I was on the road With Chuck Strong. The tour lasted for 8 months.
*In 1975 I released a hit song in the local and surrounding cities and states called Making It Good for a bad situation.
*I recently completed a thirteen month R&B performance in Atlanta, Georgia as the headlining act for the Danny Miller Band.
*Reviews of my performances have always exceeded an outstanding rating.
*During 2007, I worked with Baby Boy Records"

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