Alive in Wonderland

Come walk in support The Down Syndrome Association of Orange County

One of my favorite things about  Facebook is reconnecting with people that I knew and liked, say 20 years ago, but had lost touch with.  Scott is a perfect example of a good Facebook re-Friending experience.  He and I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken together and, for a brief time, we were friends.  (Read about our KFC days here. Warning: includes gross biscuit / bandaid story.)

Mostly what I remember about Scott was him instigating some pretty wicked chicken skin food fights at closing time, his fun spirit, and all of us hanging out at Bob's Big Boy after work. Here is Scott at Bob's in Huntington Beach--oh, about two decades ago.

**sigh Bob's Big Boy**

 

Once Scott and I reconnected, we instantly hit-it-off Facebook style: spastically giving each other the thumbs up and commenting on each other's obscure '80s references and status updates laden with sarcasm and cheer.  

Scott  has a daughter, named Sadie, who was born with Down Syndrome.  I've never met her before, or any of Scott's family for that matter, but can't help but LOVE this little girl.  Just look at her...

 

 

My family and I are walking with Scott's family on Nov. 8th at Angeles Stadium for the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County's Buddy Walk.  After the actual walk portion of the event, we get to hang out on the field and in the dugouts, eat hot dogs AND, guess who is the musical guest?....you're never going to guess...go ahead, try...give up?  The English Beat will be performing on the field! The English Beat!

How fitting.

 

If you want to join Sadie's team and walk with us, please head over to the Team Page for the details and sign up. We promise not to start a food fight. (Right Scott?).  Or, if you just want to sponsor me you can do that by going to my MY WEBPAGE  on the DSA/OC' web site. 

God Bless Facebook and all its wonderful powers. 

Orange County remembers 9/11

(Orange County Fire Chief Keith Richter) 

It would have been pretty easy to miss that Friday was Sept. 11th. Every year the reverence of that terrible day eight years ago seems to fade, just a bit. Not in our hearts, I believe people still care about those who lost their lives that day, I just think it's easy to let the day slip by without taking time to reflect on it.

This was the first year Larry and I attended the 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at Irvine Valley College. Larry, who is a former Green Beret, was asked to lead the pledge before the speakers: OC Police Chief Dave Maggard, OC Fire Chief Keith Richter and OC Sheriff-Coroner Sandra Hutchens. It was a beautiful ceremony that ended with God Bless America, a song that honestly never meant that much to me before Sept. 11th, but now brings me to tears. I hope to make it a tradition for us to attend every year. 

Orange County blogger Laura Bloom has a powerful way to pay respect to those who perished that day. She participates in 2,996 project,  and remembers Giann F. Gamboa, a 26 year-old manager at Top of The World Cafe, by writing about him every year on her blog, "If Not Now When?".  

Please head over there and read his incredible story along with tributes to him from the people who knew and loved him.  His actions on that day exemplify courage.  He was a true hero.  

I joined 2,996 Project for next year. If you're a blogger you can join too by clicking here and leaving a comment to be assigned a victim.  They have over 1,700 who need a blog to support them.

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This song will always remind me of 9/11 and the sad and 

scary days following it.

"I know it aches. How your heart it breaks. And you can only take so much.  

Walk on. Walk on. Stay safe tonight."

Rats and ducks and a good cause, oh my!

Illustration by the Amanda Kindregan.

My seven-year-old daughter, Emily, started to grow her hair out about a year ago to donate to Locks of Love . But, once she saw "nice tough guy" George Parros of the Anaheim Ducks hockey team getting annual hair cut for Childhood Leukemia Foundation's (CLF)  Hugs -U- Wear Program she changed her mind and wants to get it chopped off with him-- "with a Duck."

But, right now the only animal that can be associated with her hair is a rat, as in rat's nest. Her hair is about four inches short of the twelve inch requirement so, if we don't kill each other before that time, she has about six to eight months to go. 

Sensing the animosity?  You're so clever.

From what  I can tell, this is what she does from the time I ask her to go take a shower until the time she is standing in front of me with dagger brush in hand asking me to start the war that has become brushing out her hair.

    1. Get undressed. Get in shower.

    2. Shampoo with homemade shampoo made of: 1 part Elmer's glue , 1 part egg  yolk, 1 part silly putty. 

3. Completely shun conditioner as if it were an oatmeal raisin cookie.  

4. Get out of shower. Dry hair by rubbing it between two pieces of sandpaper.

5. Plug in electric mixer. Turn it on.  Run through hair on "puree" setting.

6. Spritz with melted surf board wax.

7. Host fight between a hedgehog and ferret on top of head.

8. Adopt surly attitude. Hunch shoulders to ears. Glue fingers to top of head. Find mom and hand her dagger brush. 

Sometimes, when we've had a particularly brutal hair brushing session we go to CLF's website and look at THIS  and we're good until the next shower.

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Super Funny Mom Posts From Around 

The Momblogosphere (totally made that word up.):

Nik of Prose and Converse 'ilarious post about taking her kids to the market after work: Promptly negating any good karma earned.

Foolery's cliffnoted tale of making cookies for her daughter's class : Cookies for Sparky's kindergarten class.

Suz of Day by Day...My Life as a Busy Bee's spit-take-able story: I should write a parenting book or maybe just a pamphlet. 

Libby's giving you CREDIT, and no one is doing that these days

 

My friend Libby Spears, who I have talked about before, and who I am beside myself with pride, has almost completed her documentary "Playground." 

Playground is a film born out of Libby's giant heart.  After hearing horrific stories about child sex trafficking in the United States, Libby began the long, difficult process of documenting the practice. The subject of domestic commercial sexual exploitation of children is ugly and despicable and certainly hard to hear about,  but I'm glad there are people like Libby who have made it their life's mission to expose it and in doing so, help extinguish it.

She has traveled the world getting interviews and following leads.  I hardly ever know where she is or where she is going. Sometimes my only clue to her whereabouts is the sporadic  Facebook photo of a plastic bunny in a Tokyo shop window or blurry profile of her named "southeast asia."  Her life has been about finishing "Playground" for I can't even remember how long...and now she is soooo close. 

If you want to help Libby, you're in luck.  She has set-up an easy way to donate that won't take a huge bite out of your recession-weary budget.  You can buy a credit in the film for $25.  Please go to her site here--The Playground Project--and check out the details. 

Thank you, Libby.  You inspire.  I love you, my sweet friend--wherever you are.

Revolution is just a t-shirt away: OmniPeace

Larry received this t-shirt for his birthday. It's made by a group called OmniPeace.

Their mission?

To end poverty by 2025 through the sale of commercial products: t-shirts, hats, purses, you get the idea.

"You're Not The Only One" Stories For Charity

The English blog Peach (and friends) had the brilliant idea to put together a book of stories written by bloggers called "You're Not The Only One." It will cost you to enter a story, you'll have to buy the completed book, about $10.00. The proceeds of the book will go entirely to the organization Warchild, which is a UK-based charity which provides support to children in Afghanistan (and beyond.)

They said they wanted some stories about something the writer/blogger had been through, but were looking for something lighthearted, since most everything they had received was serious and touching. I submitted this story about having the song "Wake me up before you go go" stuck in my head for an entire summer--which was brutal.

Frankly, Mr. Shankly.

If you are a fellow blogger, send something in and show the world we are not the self-involved, navel-gazers everyone says we are.

Free Rice and Ego Boost

Prove to yourself you are the intellectual you think you are AND donate to the hungry.

Free Rice will ask you to define 47 words, with each correct answer, rice is donated to a needy person. As an added ego-buffer, if you miss one, no worries, they just keep asking until you get all 47 correct. Talk about a win-win...

**Brought to you by poverty.com**