I See What You Meme

This week's Follow Friday didn't make the deadline.  I have a few excuses. I'm currently on Pacific Time so, technically, it's still Friday. Roger and I are in California and Sunday he will run his 10th marathon in Big Sur .  This week, I've decided to feature some organizations near and dear to my heart that revolve around our current mission in California: CJSTUF : Yes, most of you reading this know it is my current raison d'etre. This is where my parenting energies currently flow. Simply put, we help families who are where we have been. We don't cure disease. We don't solve the world's problems. But we try to make an unbearable situation a little more bearable. Every Day is a Bonus. ASK : The organization that is the backbone of the hematology/oncology clinic at VCU Medical Center. This organization does so much for families of kids with cancer and related diseases, including funding for Child Life, Chaplaincy, Counseling, Social Work, and

It's Easter Sunday. For many, it is a day of rejoicing. It is, most certainly, one of the most important and Holiest of days in the Christian calendar. I cannot celebrate. Holidays are difficult enough at this point in my life but this week has hit me particularly hard.  First, there was the license plate mess .  On the surface, it seemed a trivial matter but the sentimental value of that plate made the loss more substantial in my mind.  Abbie celebrating her birthday last year at Romp n' Roll Yesterday, we felt a loss that cuts to a much deeper level. Cancer warrior Abbie Waters , a brave girl who just turned 9 this week, lost her battle with Rhabdomyosarcoma.  In our cancer journey, we have met many families. We have had the opportunity to know not only the boys and girls battling disease but their parents as well. Abbie now becomes the 5th child that I have known personally who has died way too soon.   There is no question that you feel a loss when a person in your

In the spirit of.... the Spirit , this week's Follow Friday is dedicated to religion.  In the Christian tradition, it is Holy Week. We just passed over Passover.  And for all those crunchy granola folks out there, today is Earth Day. My guess is there is some holiday upcoming or outgoing for just about every major religion on the planet going on.  Except for Jehovah's Witnesses . I think that's a pretty safe bet.  So this week I will share some of my favorite resources for information, news, food for thought, and all other propaganda revolving around religion. Sojourners: This magazine and website looks at how faith intermingles with politics and culture in our modern world.  Founded by activist and author Jim Wallis, I am often inspired and enlightened by the perspectives presented in their media-sphere. Follow them at @sojourners or @jimwallis I recently discovered The Poached Egg through The Internets and have found it to be another enlightening source of theo

So a few weeks ago I was so excited to get my new CJSTUF license tags in the mail! As a responsible citizen, I put the new tags on my car and went about my life. Today, between work and errands, I was driving around town. I made a few stops here and there. It was only when I got home that I noticed the back tag on my car was MISSING. Gone. Vanished. I can guarantee that the tag did not fall off. These tags were screwed on TIGHT (plus the back tag had a vanity frame around it). I retraced my steps and seem to remember that I saw the tag on my car when I came out from giving platelets today. My next (and final) stop was downtown near MCV. I was parked in the lot at the Valentine Museum for about 30 minutes. Then I headed home.  I called the Ashland PD to file a report and they sent an officer over to the house. On a funny note, when my mom commented on the fact that he pulled up in an unmarked car, the officer remarked, "Well, I'm here for the bachelorette party. Are

I make it a point to stay up to date on current events and international affairs. It just seems like the right thing to do as a citizen of the world. That's why this next blog post is devoted to one of the most important international events in our recent history. Yes, it's all over the news but I think that we can't really devote enough attention to a subject that impacts so many people in our country (not to mention the rest of the world).  Many people have their own opinions so let's take some time to analyze the facts.  What are we going to talk about today? The Royal Wedding!   Yes, that's right. The world is facing major earthquakes, radiation fallout, wars in the Middle East, a global economic crisis, civil wars in Africa, and a host of other issues but all that seems to be important in the mass media is Kate and William's pending nuptials.  To be fair, I love a fairy tale wedding as much as the next person and I think that William and Kate make an

For this week's Follow Friday I would like to feature some of the men in my life.  Specifically, the men who make me laugh.  In no particular order, I give you:   Andy Borowitz: (@BorowitzReport) One of the funnier political humorists in the blogosphere these days. His tweets have me in stitches on a daily basis. A few of my faves:  To beat #Gaddafi at his own game, Pentagon says it will spell Odyssey three different ways. #Oddicy #Ahdassy #Qaghhikhy Glenn Beck moves to SciFi Channel. No format change necessary. FACT: A shutdown will close the USDA, halting all shipment of beef. But you will still be able to eat at Taco Bell. Of course, my prime source for political news and humor is none other than the dynamic duo of Jon Stewart at The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report (@StephenAtHome).  I was so excited to attend the Rally to Restore Sanity in DC last year, even if the closest I got to the madness was a jumbotron a 1/2 mile from t

I love it when I find a great new musical obsession.  Last year, I discovered SONOS through an NPR interview .  These are some talented musicians who deserve every possible success. After their first two recording efforts (both of which are AMAZING!) they split from their record label (Verve).  Now they are in the process of recording their third album and they need some grassroots support to make it happen.  For as little as $5, you can get a copy of their newest album when it is published just by committing to the cause NOW.  Please go to their Grassroots Project and pledge your financial support by the end of April. Then tell all your friends! If you like their music (or want to find out more about them), you can find them on Facebook as well.   Happy listening!  

I joined the Twitter-verse two months ago and since then I've gained 151 followers and a whole new vocabulary.  Tweet Retweet Hashtag Tiny url Spam-bot Follow Friday I've decided to embrace the spirit of that last term and start my own #FollowFridays here on my blog.  It seems that the first Follow Friday started with a single tweet on January 16, 2009 when Micah Baldwin had an amazingly simple idea: recommend someone that you follow to people who follow you. In true social media fashion, the idea has taken off and has now become a Friday ritual for the Twitter feed. In that spirit, I bring you my first Follow Friday. Since you're not all on Twitter, I'm going to share bloggers as well as tweeters.  My theme this week is: People I Follow Who I Know Personally So in no particular order,I bring you.... Native Born : Faiqa and I went to high school together. So we're old friends. Actually, we weren't the best of friends in high school but we did take a l

...I gave blood today. By the time you finish reading this post, over 60 people will require some kind of blood transfusion.  In fact, more than 4.5 million people in the United States and Canada receive blood transfusions each year.  Blood donations help for many reasons, the most obvious being the loss of blood from surgery or a major accident; however, cancer patients, those with sickle cell disease, and many others who fight a variety of blood-related illnesses require regular transfusions of platelets, plasma, and whole blood to maintain their health.   Blood donation centers are constantly in need of eligible donors. FUN FACT: if all blood donors gave three times a year (the average is two), blood shortages would actually be a fairly rare occurrence.  I've been a somewhat regular blood donor ever since I was eligible to give as a teenager but it wasn't until Charlotte faced numerous hospitalizations that I renewed my efforts and energy into being a regular