tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51595780917744019942024-02-07T16:26:58.630-05:00Random ThoughtsWord Canoodling for your MindVelniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-5196498050788613332016-04-14T07:18:00.003-04:002023-11-07T10:20:44.138-05:0010 Things My Daughter Needs to Know<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Our sweet, beautiful and funny Drew... </span><br />
<br />
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">I can't take complete credit for this and there are a ton of similar type articles out there, but much of it is my own words. It's something I've held on to for the past 5 years waiting for you to get old enough to understand the meaning behind it, but also when it might be needed most. Sometimes I think I should have sent it sooner, and yet now seems like the perfect time for you to read it.</span><br />
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Please don't skim through it like you're prone to do with other blogs, articles, posts, etc. These words are from the heart and I want you to keep them close for those days you really need to hear/read something uplifting and positive. Read it in Morgan Freeman's voice if you must. Just read it ALL.</span><br />
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br /></span>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="372">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Mention"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">1. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It is not your job
to keep the people you love happy</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not me, not mom, not your brother or sisters, not your friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I promise, it's not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hard truth is that you can't, anyway.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">2. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Your physical
fearlessness is a strength</b>. Please continue using your body in the world:
run, jump, climb, and throw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love
watching you streaking down the road on your skateboard, or swimming proudly in the
pool, or chasing Bubba Jay around the house and then him chasing you back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is both health and a sense of mastery
in physical activity and challenges.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">3. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You should never
be afraid to share your passions</b>. If you are sometimes embarrassed that you
still like to play video games with dad, for example, or brush mom's hair and you worry that your friends
will make fun of you, don’t be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who
teases you for what you love to do is not a true friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is hard to realize, but essential.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">4. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It is okay to
disagree with me, and others</b>. You are old enough to have a point of view,
and we want to hear it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So do those who
love you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don't pick fights for the sake
of it, of course, but when you really feel mom or I are wrong, please say
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have heard me say that you are
right, and you've heard me apologize for my behavior or point of view when I
realize they were wrong, albeit sometimes not as soon as I should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your
perspective is both <u><b>valid </b></u>and <u><b>valuable</b></u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don't shy away from expressing it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">5. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You are so very
beautiful</b>. Your face now holds the baby you were and the young woman you
are rapidly becoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My eyes and cheeks
and mom’s coloring combine into someone unique, someone purely you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can see the dark clouds of society's beauty standards
hovering, manifest in your own growing self-consciousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We beg of you not to lose sight with your own
beauty, so much of which comes from the fact that your spirit runs so close to
the surface.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">6. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Reading is
essential</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the central
leisure-time joy of my life, as you know although I've been too long with a book in my hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mom and I are immensely proud and pleased to see that you share
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That identification you feel with
characters, that sense of slipping into another world, of getting lost there in
the best possible way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those never go
away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Welcome.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">7. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You are not me</b>.
We are very alike, but you are your own person, entirely, completely,
fully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know this, I promise, even
when we lose sight of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that
separation from both mom and I, are one of the fundamental tasks of your
adolescence, which I can see glinting over the horizon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dread it like ice in my stomach, that
space, that distance, that essential cleaving, but I want you to know I know
how vital it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom and I are going to
be here, no matter what, Drew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The red
string that ties us together will stretch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know it will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And once the
transition is accomplished there will be a new, even better closeness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">8. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It is almost never
about you</b>. What I mean is that when people act in a way that hurts or makes
you feel insecure, it is almost certainly about something happening inside of
them, and not about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I struggle with
this one horribly, and mom and I have tried very, very hard never once to tell you that
you are being "too sensitive" or to "get over it" when you
feel hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe me; I know how
feelings can slice your heart, even if your head knows otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But maybe, just maybe, it will help to
remember that almost always other people are struggling with their own demons,
even if they bump into you by accident.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">9. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">There is no single
person who can be your everything</b>. Be very careful about bestowing this
power on any one person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect you
are trying to fill a gnawing loneliness, and if you are, you inherited it from both mom and I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That feeling, Virginia Woolf's
"emptiness about the heart of life," is just part of the deal; a
conflict between community and independence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Trying to fill that ache with other people (or with anything else, like
food, alcohol, numbing behaviors of a zillion sorts you don't even know of yet)
is a lost cause, and nobody will be up to the task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will feel let down, and, worse, that
loneliness will be there no matter what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I'm learning to embrace it, to accept it as part of who I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope to help you do the same.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">10. <b>We are</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> trying our
best</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know we’re not good enough
and not the father and mother you deserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are impatient and fallible and raise our voices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are sorry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We love you more than anyone else in the entire world and we always wish
we could be better for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll admit we
don't always love your behavior, and we’re quick to tell you that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But every single day, we love you with every
fiber of our being, no matter what. Never, ever forget this.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">There are probably 10 more things. Hell maybe there are 20-40, but these are the most important for you now. We'll cross off the others as we get to them. For now, that's a "moo" point.</span></div>
Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-52944189418409511402014-12-14T15:32:00.000-05:002014-12-14T15:32:13.649-05:0020 Things All Dog Owners Must Never Forget.<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br />Credit for this article goes to <a href="http://www.pawbuzz.com/20-things-dog-owners-must-never-forget/">PawBuzz</a>, but like most of those sites, I can't stand the "Slideshow" delivery of the content, so I cleaned it up.<br /><br /><br />It’s been often said that dogs are the only creatures on earth that love you more than they love themselves. Well, ain’t that the truth! Sometimes, we take these wonderful companions for granted. If we want to pay back the favor and give them the best life possible, these 20 important reminders should serve you well as awesome dog owners…</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Don’t be upset when I jump for joy when you come through the door.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I only live for ten or fifteen years. You are what makes that time enjoyable. It’s hard on me when you go away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/089348b2-9cbf-438c-b0f5-735d3dddc65a.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/cN33S3">Flickr – Jim Larrison</a><br /> </span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Give me time to understand what you want from me.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don’t always get it right on the first try, but I promise I’m trying as hard as I can.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/a13f9583-ac3f-4291-b120-0243ac5e6da0.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/bfeKGB">Flickr – E Greens</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Give me your trust.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just like I trust you, I need you to trust me, too.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/7911c1f3-acae-47cc-99bf-4c558ce29f95.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/4HKXte">Flickr – John Tyler</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Don’t be angry with me for too long.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And please don’t lock me up to punish me. You have your friends and family to keep you happy and entertained. I just have you.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/3d1603f2-cff1-4eba-84d4-b7b808dce6d2.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/s3MVk">Flickr – Christopher Michel</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Take me inside when the weather gets bad.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The backyard doesn’t have air conditioning or a heater. You don’t have to let me on the couch, but a small part of the kitchen is much better than sleeping in the snow.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/c0a4eeab-38a2-4eba-b190-cfa8b2aaa949.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/4mddMD">Flickr – Tim Dorr</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Talk to me.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sure, we don’t speak the same language, but the sound of your voice brightens my whole day.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/e2fe066b-1f3b-4417-a416-98212c3909ee.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br /><br /> </span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Comfort me when I’m scared.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You know a lot more about loud noises, strange people, and new places than I do. I need to know that you’ll protect me from them. I always feel safer when I’m with you.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/37c12cd0-ab67-4ada-8350-45ddf313c109.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br /> </span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Remember that I’ll never forget how you treat me.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teach me that humans are made of love, not pain. And don’t ever let me forget it.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/89443429-cd1e-479e-8e95-3ca125968bd9.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/4NtRbF">Flickr – Eunice</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Come outside with me.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The sights, sounds, and scents of nature are some of my greatest pleasures in life. I don’t care if we play, go for a walk, or just sit under a tree together — I want you to experience them with me.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/50b33d7f-1c59-4239-b151-6d77ad7df589.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/ecYiLQ">Flickr – Pedro Ribeiro Simões</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Let me make new friends.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Introduce me to other dogs, cats, or even bigger animals. We might now get along in the end, but having some more friends that look and smell like me makes my life that much brighter.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/6995fb10-5ed8-42e2-8dcc-14b7879c84eb.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/eV1JhV">Flickr – Sam</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Give me a treat ever once in a while.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Food is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I know you want me to be healthy, so I understand when you don’t share your own meals with me. But giving me a dog biscuit when I’ve been good or mixing tasty vegetables mixed in with my dinner is guaranteed to make me wag my tail extra hard.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/a4069473-d49f-4b66-879e-ed89a2a2618c.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/H2dGA">Flickr – Audrey</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Please don’t hit me.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have teeth that can crush bone. Instead, I cover you in sloppy, wet kisses. Just as I choose not to hurt you, please make the choice to not hurt me.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/8c0eb841-8af0-4074-8702-775c9545781a.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/fzAx6F">Flickr – Beverley Goodwin</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Understand when I need my alone time.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love you more than anything, but even though it’s rare, I don’t always want to play or cuddle. Don’t be sad if I’d rather sleep on the cold tile floor instead of in your bed on hot summer nights, and be understanding if I don’t want to play as much as the years go on.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/1b1399e0-35c3-4948-a3a2-fc79ee18e3d2.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/8M2n3N">Flickr – Keoni Cabral</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Show me your world.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The house and yard might be the only places I ever see unless you let me come with you. A trip to the pet store, the park, or even just a ride in the car is exhilarating for me. I can’t wait to see what you want to show me.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/7d56639a-7a31-4ce5-9efe-ab005783b71e.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/cmhnuC">Flickr – Don Graham</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Teach me new things.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learning new tricks keeps my mind active, but most of all, it gives me a way to impress you. I love showing off for your friends, looking up at you, and seeing how proud of me you are.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/5ea4ca1c-e2e1-4044-b91e-355d41a24617.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/9Ac4EN">Flickr – Philip Bump</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Let me get dirty once in a while.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your world is inside, but I thrive outdoors. Sometimes I find a lot of mud or a lake that smells like all of its fishy inhabitants. I understand if you don’t want to wash all that stuff off every day, but as long as it’s safe, let me go back to my wild roots every now and then.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/ff6584c1-166a-47ba-a109-e284432edc3a.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/3HyS7g">Flickr – Cavin</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Touch me.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nothing makes me feel more loved than when you take time out of your day to rub my ears or scratch that itchy spot on my back that I can’t reach. I can’t understand your words, but I definitely understand the feelings behind a hug.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/f7ba7725-ad8d-4129-b3a4-da17607229e5.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/2Hp338">Flickr – smlp.co.uk</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Pay attention if I don’t seem like myself.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It might seem like I’m just being lazy or stubborn, but I might not be feeling well. I can’t get help for myself, and I need you to look out for me.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/ac2e6986-eaf0-4c46-bb24-48b4732cdfa4.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/dy59SD">Flickr – hannah k</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Love me when I’m old just as much as you did when I was young.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I might not be the cute puppy that I once was, but I still love you just as much now as I did then. Please take care of me when my body doesn’t work like it used to.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/be790705-901c-4338-8793-dad4cc6f8a1c.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/eazis3">Flickr – Paul Kline</a><br /><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Come with me on my final journey.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know it will be difficult, but I need you by my side when the time comes for me to leave this world. Every moment down to my last breath is easier if I have you with me.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://www.evernote.com/shard/s41/res/c999cd1a-585d-4f98-b4f0-dbdc090d0f38.jpg?resizeSmall&width=1920" /><br /><br /><br />Image Source: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/iy2cp6">Flickr – Nomadic Lass</a><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And even when I’m gone… remember these words.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>“People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.” </i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">- Spoken by a 6 year old boy who had just lost his family’s 10 year old, Belker, to cancer.</span><br /><br /><br /> </span>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-87770924488657970622014-10-12T21:39:00.001-04:002014-10-12T22:27:21.640-04:00Programming for Kids<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the past few months, I've seen this topic come up several
times from friends and parents wanting to introduce their children to the world
of computing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be fair, programming is
only one aspect of computing but it is a great tool building math skills and
cognitive thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, I would tell
you that your child needs to have basic computer skills; keyboard
familiarization, mouse control, and understanding basic concepts like typing
are a must simply because a lot of the programming tools are going to assume
that this is already known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second,
programming is not for everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your
child shows no interest or becomes bored, don’t force it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Programming can be fun and exciting, but
forcing the concepts won’t help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like
most things, we as humans need to have an interest and desire to be driven
towards certain aspects in our lives and this is no different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our kids are just little humans trying to
find their way in the world too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Enough of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
get the juicy stuff!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to try
and make this as easy as possible for you and your child to decide which tools
are best for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each have their
benefits and likewise, their faults, but they are just mere stepping stones into
the world of programming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, each
programming language is like Apple vs. Android; we all have our favorite
flavors and each one serves a different purpose for reaching and end goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try things out and if it doesn’t work for
you, try another, but give them each a chance and see what fits your style
best.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5159578091774401994" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Computer Tools</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tools best suited for Primary level school children are
growing everyday but here I’m going to list some of my favorites and explain
why I've chosen them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iuKpklsSs7Vws_gL_nUoogNMMNRQSpYxwRYlCJ5SXXgeoOWzZlG4MPWAZsSiAF205cUdOB59hMkhx_bpn-yK4-q_66wM3ZzQEJ4mtXqi326ZT_apKM7WbV92SQgNryJo7q3j3u2M/s1600/scratch.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iuKpklsSs7Vws_gL_nUoogNMMNRQSpYxwRYlCJ5SXXgeoOWzZlG4MPWAZsSiAF205cUdOB59hMkhx_bpn-yK4-q_66wM3ZzQEJ4mtXqi326ZT_apKM7WbV92SQgNryJo7q3j3u2M/s1600/scratch.png" height="192" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/">Scratch</a> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">offers an online community that is great for both sharing ideas as well as
getting feedback and learning from others.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The team at Scratch is also committed to making the online community
user friendly, by not only encouraging constructive feedback, but by also
policing the site with </span><a href="http://www.inversoft.com/features/profanity-filter/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CleanSpeak</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and
following up on reports of others who do not follow the rules. As with all online services however, also do
your own monitoring to be sure kids are safe while on the site.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROs</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t speak enough about the community, but
if you prefer not to join in, there is also an <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/scratch2download">offline</a> version of Scratch
available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should point out that
Scratch is maintained by a group of MIT folks called the LiFELONG KiNDERGARTEN
team, whose mission is to build technologies for all children to learn design.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONs</b>: If I had to
point one out, it’s that Scratch isn’t for all ages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Older kids </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">may find it boring and it’s good
for introducing coding, programming principals, but I would suggest quickly
moving on to more detailed concepts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PRICE: </b>Free</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kodugamelab.com/">Kodu</a> s</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">imilar to
Scratch, Kodu offers online communities and forums for getting help and sharing
ideas.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kodu is backed by Microsoft and
uses visual programming to help teach creativity and problem solving.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where it differs from Scratch, is that the
concepts are built around games, so the while the learning is similar, the end
goals are not as broad.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I chose Kodu
though, because of this.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes FUN
is what we need to get value out of things and seeing a game you built come to
life is amazing.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, Kodu extends from
the PC to the XBOX game system and while not necessary, provides additional
outlets for your creations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdpIhnUsJ-YZ5B6MG0R4uXFSkKy5ZrTYqBGi8OyO94Z0Ur98bG5u-a0hyZ3Y7dhO0zBICi-_llZCAc7FZbA3HpFqMdFartBeL-r7u3VpDiALWxvpMdxRHvO4ZBCjavIPu5cq4WOGV/s1600/kodu.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdpIhnUsJ-YZ5B6MG0R4uXFSkKy5ZrTYqBGi8OyO94Z0Ur98bG5u-a0hyZ3Y7dhO0zBICi-_llZCAc7FZbA3HpFqMdFartBeL-r7u3VpDiALWxvpMdxRHvO4ZBCjavIPu5cq4WOGV/s1600/kodu.png" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROs</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Community based, backed by Microsoft, so you
know it’s going to be around a while and support is good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I think is best however, is that anyone
can help teach Kodu and they even have prebuilt curriculums for home school or
public school settings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONs</b>:
Requirements for the computer are a bit higher than most, simply because you’re
building games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kodu is a great tool,
but depending on the age of your computer, you may be pressed to look
elsewhere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PRICE: </b>PC is
Free; XBOX Marketplace ~$5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5KH3Mqf7fZrLhX1Lc5FeYmOkYAuqs2ZHCv7e94VsI1yqYGVFJuR-XeMdtsJrZFybxNz5Vdkj23N1mLoI-5t20KLlM49QiLU4tfI7DL2MpClyo1FzFD1ei_MyLCeKzS42dzJkbvXo/s1600/alice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5KH3Mqf7fZrLhX1Lc5FeYmOkYAuqs2ZHCv7e94VsI1yqYGVFJuR-XeMdtsJrZFybxNz5Vdkj23N1mLoI-5t20KLlM49QiLU4tfI7DL2MpClyo1FzFD1ei_MyLCeKzS42dzJkbvXo/s1600/alice.jpg" height="200" width="137" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.alice.org/index.php" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alice</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> teaches programming</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">using an interactive
interface and allows you to see immediately how the programs run which in turn,
allows you to understand the relationships between the language and the objects
on screen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROs</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Community based, and backed by software
giants such as Oracle, EA Games, Sun Micro, Google and Disney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oracle even provides further resources using
Alice at their Oracle Academy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONs</b>: Some of the
teaching content is limited to brick and mortar schools, which I think is a
shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I understand their desire
to keep the integrity of the source material, it defeats the purpose of
providing a free learning tool for parents who home school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said however, there are other resources
made freely available for teaching Alice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of my favorites is provided by Kathy Menchaca at Duke University,
which also provides workshops for teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can find the Duke Resources <a href="http://www.cs.duke.edu/csed/alice/aliceInSchools/">here</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PRICE: </b>Free</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOybyEyLnT9QO7QaTu8bLYS5dg7t26FWY_zRPvzc96iMnfLwpzfEYV2Iv5MrsL04WRrdOluhHAfCYMhxYEUrtGXCiVSqYoic1wg4hy3t4nrBxmgUbnvkW8T7-5DILypddEfCJjr0-v/s1600/kidsruby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOybyEyLnT9QO7QaTu8bLYS5dg7t26FWY_zRPvzc96iMnfLwpzfEYV2Iv5MrsL04WRrdOluhHAfCYMhxYEUrtGXCiVSqYoic1wg4hy3t4nrBxmgUbnvkW8T7-5DILypddEfCJjr0-v/s1600/kidsruby.jpg" height="195" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://kidsruby.com/">KidsRuby</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Ruby is
becoming a big part of today’s programming, in part because of the natural flow
of its language, but also because of its power.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ruby is my favorite of the programming languages, due in part to how
easily it can be modified to suit your own needs.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It can do everything from simple web design
to more robust Windows, MAC OS and Linux fully functioning programs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROs</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visual guide allows you to write, run and see
the output all at once in the same window and because Ruby language is built
more on simplicity, the code is easy to pick up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONs</b>: The one
downside to all this is that while Ruby is gaining popularity, Ruby tutorials
and kid friendly programs are still very rare and sites like KidsRuby are just
getting started up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a silver
lining and thankfully KidsRuby is the successor to <a href="http://hackety.com/lessons">Hackety Hack</a>, which is still around and
has some good tutorials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best part;
the Hackety Hack code works in KidsRuby so you get the best of both worlds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PRICE: </b>Free</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmWyMcw2fwYDB8EDypXc78UUwIDq1koSpsfcdB-ESosGIyp0Ha_U6lXU8ADbgJnJY_gkNzWmLehd82RgVuwdmvUk6mzGcoRY9Xvc0NR4cCTpf9pWkwCB5lTIllAbwbldm4_oqt8zD/s1600/CodeKingdoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmWyMcw2fwYDB8EDypXc78UUwIDq1koSpsfcdB-ESosGIyp0Ha_U6lXU8ADbgJnJY_gkNzWmLehd82RgVuwdmvUk6mzGcoRY9Xvc0NR4cCTpf9pWkwCB5lTIllAbwbldm4_oqt8zD/s1600/CodeKingdoms.jpg" height="200" style="cursor: move;" width="170" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://codekingdoms.com/">Code Kingdoms</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> JavaScript
has been around for a while, but it’s still very much alive and kicking, which
makes it another great programming language to learn.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is where Code Kingdoms comes in.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the site and tools are still under development,
the kids who are currently involved are actually helping to write the code with
the developers of Code Kingdom.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How cool
is that?!?!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The concept is simple; play
games that help you learn programming concepts from the very basics.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The site also grows with your child’s
progress.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where you start out with
dragging and dropping, you later advance to actual text based coding.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They guys at Code Kingdom keep it fun by “leveling”
your skills and discovering new content as you progress.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROs</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Code Kingdoms is my favorite of all the kids
coding sites and tools, so I won’t lie to you when I say I’m biased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The concept is great, the folks behind it are
clearly in tune with what makes learning to program fun and the tools just
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best part is that it’s web
based so you do everything from a browser window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this may not seem like such a great
benefit, think about this: most other tools need a PC to run on or a tablet
device for on the go fun, but rarely both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Code Kingdoms is one of the first to cross that barrier and because of
it’s web friendly design, it works on PC, Linux, Mac, Android and Apple iOS
devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Essentially, if you can open a
browser on it, you can run Code Kingdoms on it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONs</b>: Sadly, Code
Kingdoms is currently free, but will likely go to a paid structure at some
point in 2015 when they officially launch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There may be some perks to early adopters to get in with a discount or some
other bonus, but expect that you’ll be paying something in the near future for
continued use of the Code Kingdom tools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What is great, is that the developers maintain that they will always
keep it free for schools, but it is still unclear if home schools will be
included in that statement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PRICE: </b>Free
(during development) Suggested to be “paid service” at a future date on launch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Apps for on the go learning</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We covered the tools that are great for use at home on your
PC or MAC, but what about taking the learning on the road?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are a few suggestions for the traveling
coder in your class.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/daisy-the-dinosaur/id490514278">Daisy the
Dinosaur</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Great little programming app for the iPad that teaches the basics.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3sD-oza4eUPEpT8YyeFKC1jfhWEU40ZP3cPjdZaUXoersewgcL4WL3GjJx-o6FWKrlv1g7s7ICI5ruyewuPGzHzXeamTpBzVNaxO2VFheHu5F5kcYvVEzyHQ93dEcwm9rd62h0ED/s1600/daisy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3sD-oza4eUPEpT8YyeFKC1jfhWEU40ZP3cPjdZaUXoersewgcL4WL3GjJx-o6FWKrlv1g7s7ICI5ruyewuPGzHzXeamTpBzVNaxO2VFheHu5F5kcYvVEzyHQ93dEcwm9rd62h0ED/s1600/daisy.png" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROs</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fun and cute entry level programming for the
little guys.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONs</b>: Very few
options to keep kids engaged for long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Daisy really is geared toward the much younger kids (4-6), but even
then, they will be left wanting to make Daisy do more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There hasn’t been much development or updates
to Daisy, but the developer Hopscotch may have meant for this to be the
stepping stone to their flagship app.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PRICE: </b>Free</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbV9FgB_Y5IL7LbpBrvr5yJKuAeIn_EKzwFW6mCVyLw3krGchOGWZxbVdLvIwTeYFs_yfbz2CUXPe6Lzhhf48McofMcUTxMb7nWo3cjZ0Romy1HBFrKdZlbz5Aj04EqWHnbE7Zmw8/s1600/hopscotch.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbV9FgB_Y5IL7LbpBrvr5yJKuAeIn_EKzwFW6mCVyLw3krGchOGWZxbVdLvIwTeYFs_yfbz2CUXPe6Lzhhf48McofMcUTxMb7nWo3cjZ0Romy1HBFrKdZlbz5Aj04EqWHnbE7Zmw8/s1600/hopscotch.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hopscotch-programming-designed/id617098629?mt=8">Hopscotch</a> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The programming
app that just keeps getting better.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROs</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where Daisy leaves off, Hopscotch picks up in
a big way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been playing with
Hopscotch for a year now and the updates just keep getting better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is even a new iPhone version that lets
you play the games you design in the iPad app.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONs</b>: You really
have to dig deep to find something wrong with Hopscotch on the whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My biggest complaint and it seems like I’m
not alone, is that there isn’t enough sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Music, or sound effects would make this app a 5 star rating for me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PRICE: </b>Free</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/move-turtle.-programming-for/id509013878?mt=8">Move
the Turtle</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Another
great app for iPad with fun “tasks” that help kids learn</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCJmckPyTSw_oTRK2aQ4j96TK_OvMYMFkeYhSecR-UVwKP-palpkwl6jHKnRMbehRVa_gJO9DY7kzFK19XETCSNfF5HeZDMvXmd9YwafKI5i805aUcwfNtDmIK3UGLpdmCrRSkSsz/s1600/turtle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCJmckPyTSw_oTRK2aQ4j96TK_OvMYMFkeYhSecR-UVwKP-palpkwl6jHKnRMbehRVa_gJO9DY7kzFK19XETCSNfF5HeZDMvXmd9YwafKI5i805aUcwfNtDmIK3UGLpdmCrRSkSsz/s1600/turtle.png" /></a></div>
the basics by moving
your turtle to draw shapes or pictures.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PROs</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great fun, visually appealing and simple to
use.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CONs</b>: With other
up and coming apps like Hopscotch, the developer for Move the Turtle needs to
brush up the app and fix some current issues with the new iOS 8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from that, it’s still a great learning
tool, but one that is getting outdated and comes with a price tag.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PRICE: </b>$2.99</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beyond the kid stuff</span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There are a myriad of tools out there for learning, even
beyond the children’s tools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t go
into great detail here as many of these sites are already well known, but if your
child excels at programming and is eager for more, try some of the following as
the “next step” in their programming adventures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.codecademy.com/">CodeAcademy</a> – Great
site with easy to follow steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the
classes are free and broken up into small chunks to make learning easier and at
your own pace. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.udemy.com/courses/Development/Programming-Languages">udemy</a>
– While somewhat new to the online learning scene, Udemy is making a name for
itself with its ease of entry and mobile apps for on the go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While not all of Udemy is free, there are
some really great deals for learning programming (or even other skills).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recommend checking out “Fractus Learning”
and their Programming for Kids course.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/">KhanAcademy</a> –
Like a cross between CodeAcademy and udemy, Khan offers a lot of great courses
for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their Computer Programming
line will take you through several modes of programming starting with Into
level and ending on high level development.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.pluralsight.com/kids">Pluralsight</a> –
Normally a high end paid computer based learning vendor, Pluralsight has done
something really amazing by offering some of its courses FREE for kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only do they have their own programing
course, but they’ve also offered up some beginning courses on many of the tools
I’ve talked about; Scratch, App Inventor, Kodu and Hopscotch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Honorable Mentions</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stuff that isn’t free but may be worth looking into.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.stencyl.com/">Stencyl</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tynker.com/">Tynker</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://robomind.net/en/index.html">RoboMind</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Other resources</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For educators, both home and brick and mortar style, having
a good website to get feedback from is always a plus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I’m not an educator, I was very
involved in my children’s schools back in the day and I found <a href="http://www.graphite.org/">Graphite</a> to be a great resource.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lastly, never forget the power of the written word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a technological society and it’s
easy to forget how much impact a book can have on our learning and
development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this reason, I also
wanted to include a few great examples of books geared toward introducing
programming to your kids.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593274076/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593274076&linkCode=as2&tag=fractlearn-20">Python
for Kids</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593274092/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593274092&linkCode=as2&tag=fractlearn-20">Super
Scratch Programming Adventure</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1937785440/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1937785440&linkCode=as2&tag=fractlearn-20">3D
Game Programming for Kids</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1489574093/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1489574093&linkCode=as2&tag=fractlearn-20">A
Tale of Friends, Enemies and Minecraft</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449344216/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1449344216&linkCode=as2&tag=fractlearn-20">Getting
Started with Raspberry Pi</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1849691444/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1849691444&linkCode=as2&tag=fractlearn-20">Unity
3.x Game Development Essentials</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/125001445X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=125001445X&linkCode=as2&tag=fractlearn-20">Steve
Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Happy Coding!!</span></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="371">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="5" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="6" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--></div>
Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-2612271160232533812013-03-12T09:22:00.002-04:002013-03-12T09:22:55.820-04:00Bathroom Etiquette 101 - For MenSo first off I want to say that I look damn sharp today. I feel good and I look good. See? Even a fat guy can be handsome. Next, I want to get into something that bothers the crap out of me and that's Bathroom Etiquette. This one is especially dedicated to the men out there, but some of them may apply to you gals too. Ready? Here we go...<br />
<br />
First things first. I don't care how manly you, when there is more than one urinal open, take the one farthest from the guy who is already peeing. That's AT LEAST one urinal over from the guy who is already doing his business. If possible, leave another urinal available for the next guy, but under no circumstances do you stand right next to each other. No one wants to see/hear your junk and we don't want you looking at ours. This isn't peek-a-boo, this is business.<br />
<br />If, for any reason there are no urinals available, or you cannot use the "rule of one space", proceed to the next available stall. That's right, pee in the bowl like a big boy. No one will laugh at you. Close the door if you're really conscious about it. And please make sure you aim correctly. Bring Cheerios if you need to and aim for those, but don't leave a mess for the clean up crew or worse, the next guy using the stall behind you. It's gross and it makes you an asshole.<br />
<br />
Speaking of stalls, remember that this isn't your personal confession booth. We don't need to hear your phone calls to your darling wife or girlfriend and it's a bit unnerving that you'd call them from the bathroom anyway. And *Newsflash* the stalls aren't sound proof. We can hear your grunts and groans and while sometimes it's understandable, please keep it down. It's bad enough we have to hear your Taco Tuesday flashback, we don't need a play by play of that hard to push poop. And for God's sakes, FLUSH that puppy!! We're not comparing lunch menus in here.<br />
<br />
Moving along to our most important tip of all; hygiene. Wash your hands people, even if you just came in to pee, you touched yourself and I don't care how clean you think you are, I don't want to go putting my hands on the door knob after you've just finished a round of pocket pool. More importantly, washing after a poo. That's right, you aren't the crafty wiper you think your are. Unless you've got a surgical glove you keep for these occasions, make sure you do us all a favor and wash up before grabbing the exit door. It just keeps us all a little bit healthier.<br />
<br />
That's my public service announcement for the day. Follow these simple guidelines and you'll make the public restroom a much better place for all of us.Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-43287410079104393412013-03-11T10:52:00.000-04:002013-03-11T10:53:43.295-04:00Tick, Tick, TapUgh Monday. Back at work and listening to the incessant tick and tap of fingers on keyboards. For whatever reason, I can't find my focus today. I feel like I've been hit with a sledgehammer and I'm just two stars short of a full circle around my head. I'm ready to just kick back and pass out so I'm loading up on caffeine today.<br />
<br />
So I posted something on facecrack today about finding a minute to mediate. The method seems to work so I've been trying to use it and wanted to share it for others. Just not today, which is why my post is rambling.<br />
<br />
Anyway, on my drive in to work this morning I started thinking about some of my favorite things; music, photography, boobs, books, movies and not necessarily in that order. More importantly, why I'm not able to find any peace in doing things that make me happy. I've read book about it, been to a shrink about it and seen a therapist about it...still no love. It's like I've hit a roadblock where my mind wants some escape, but but my body just won't let it climb out.<br />
<br />
So in an effort to get the creative juices flowing, I'm trying to write something, every day if possible, but at least twice a week. At least my therapist agrees that if I do this, it might work out the kinks in my brain and slowly ease me out of this deep freaking depression that I can't shake. It also helps that a close friend made me this awesome journal to write in as well.<br />
<br />
Let's start there shall we, because I'm about as sick writing that word as I am feeling the associated "Debbie Downer" moods that go with it. Depression. It sucks and I'm more tired of it than anyone can possibly stand. It takes your energy, your love of things, life itself and just stomps the shit out of it. It's been a couple years now since my Dad, Uncle and Cousin passed all in rapid succession. So why can't I get BEYOND all of that? What the hell is holding me down that I just can't get past? Slowly, it's releasing it's hold over me, but there are just these remnants that are stifling me and I'm beyond being over all of it.<br />
<br />
Starting today, it ends. I'm done with it. Come hell or high water, I will not allow this thing to consume anymore of my precious life I have left here on Earth. I may not know exactly how, but I'm kicking the shit out of this thing and getting on with being me again. I think this coincides with my decision on Sunday to never buy another 3x article of clothing in my life ever again. It all just happens to be on this "Spring Forward" weekend that I came to this decision to stop screwing around and get my shit in order. Maybe I needed that fresh change in the time and the crisp cool weather to slap me in the face. Maybe it was the awesome night out with friends and the wife. Maybe I'm just over that hill in the slump and I'm on my way to recovery. Moreso, I think it's been the wonderful support of my family and friends.<br />
<br />
I've been eating better, less and more conscience of what goes into my pie hole. I've been exercising and walking to the point that my poor arthritic knee thinks I'm out of my freaking mind. I've been reading more and sleeping less. But that was just the beginning. Big Papa's got a brand new bag of tricks now and it's about to get ugly up in here. By this time next year I plan to be lighter, happier and funnier than ever. I plan to be me again.<br />
<br />
There has just come a point to where I can't do this anymore. I can not be without "me" and live my life. I'm tired of people feeling sorry for me. I'm tired of having no ambition. I'm tired of feeling like I've been beat to death emotionally. I'm tired of being tired.<br />
<br />
Bring it on.Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-18102770382261911672013-03-05T15:51:00.000-05:002013-03-05T15:51:23.364-05:00Red<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I'm going to post with fewer words and some images. Nothing special or particular about the color red, or the images. Just a color that stood out to me today and some quick snaps I took to capture them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I kind of liked this exercise so I may do it more in the future with different colors throughout the week.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsGSBqPxHqgx28x45JLzEyFb54Mon__dPG6cjbkqhYLg0f2K6pMRoecFqpm8lCj0CPclihWZur8dCQI7wBXQfZA26oqn7LHvJEb_GPqzQIc39ciDlpjAyvspQaDxBn7xIOogq3wNX/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsGSBqPxHqgx28x45JLzEyFb54Mon__dPG6cjbkqhYLg0f2K6pMRoecFqpm8lCj0CPclihWZur8dCQI7wBXQfZA26oqn7LHvJEb_GPqzQIc39ciDlpjAyvspQaDxBn7xIOogq3wNX/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizD1zq7W-TzzKVQHKs8NteFtCDpwn1EJbq_967xXlV9N5NYN2w6_UXoHEmQ_Rn8axFz9gnZKGeQRBRaGkG3QYGO3T20yWdpicDrBOXsBZ1YN1Hj32KzreGH0JHd8Cv7O5vFTiFgS-1/s1600/photo1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizD1zq7W-TzzKVQHKs8NteFtCDpwn1EJbq_967xXlV9N5NYN2w6_UXoHEmQ_Rn8axFz9gnZKGeQRBRaGkG3QYGO3T20yWdpicDrBOXsBZ1YN1Hj32KzreGH0JHd8Cv7O5vFTiFgS-1/s320/photo1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxos1p9O9gB5Np5rElM-ND9aeTAvK4jClu5iRjBwvJdJRQfc6hInytvBLkUHDCiwnuF7wub1SLkuwHF2NE1CuIP-3V7vXV8x-hVVvlRE1TX8g-ep8EQaHMiXknHAX5FS2Dbq4pOGb/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxos1p9O9gB5Np5rElM-ND9aeTAvK4jClu5iRjBwvJdJRQfc6hInytvBLkUHDCiwnuF7wub1SLkuwHF2NE1CuIP-3V7vXV8x-hVVvlRE1TX8g-ep8EQaHMiXknHAX5FS2Dbq4pOGb/s320/photo2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And a small quote about writing that mentions the color red to round things out.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="bqQuoteLink" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 26px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="bqQuoteLink" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 26px;"><i>"The only advice I can give to aspiring writers is don't do it unless you're willing to give your whole life to it. <b><span style="color: red;">Red </span></b>wine and garlic also helps."</i></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="bodybold" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;">~Jim Harrison</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-64321923011464382042013-03-04T13:08:00.002-05:002013-03-04T13:08:21.310-05:00Places...Places is an exercise in defining the perfect place for me. Where I want to be, spiritually, financially, and physically. So today I'm going to take a little journey and lay the ground work.<br />
<br />
Spiritually, I'm lost. I thought I knew what I believed and why, but all of that has recently been challenged in the past couple of years. I am no longer sure about afterlife's and living against a certain set of preordained rules. All I do know is that I'm here, I can make a difference for myself and others and that I do things (my actions) are centered around doing good for the sake of being the person I want to be treated as. I don't live my life as in I may burn in hell for not doing certain things or living a certain way, but rather I live like the universe as a whole gives and takes from us, only what we give or take from it.<br />
<br />
Is that to say I don't believe in a God? No, not necessarily. I do believe in some higher being, but I don't believe he's puppetting us around like dolls on strings. I don't believe my destiny is selected for me; I believe I make my own destiny with the decisions I make and each path is new and unexplored until I make those choices. I have no ill will to people who believe in one thing or another. I don't try to convert them and ask they respect the same wish from me. I just choose to believe that we are all here in this universe together, making our own way, learning as we go. Some choose to find comfort in religious methods; I simply find comfort in the world around me. I could write two blogs to cover all this content so I'll stop here and get on with it.<br />
<br />
Financially, I'm OK. I'm not great, I'm not rich but I'm also not poor. I have a roof over my head, we survive with food, water, heat, and other luxuries some do not have. For that, I consider myself fortunate and never complain. Sure we'd all like to be better off, never worrying about this thing or that when it comes to finances. Realistically though, most of us will just "get by" in life and that's OK for me. I have started researching things for my future such as investing and retirement, but even there, I'm not looking to be a millionaire. I just want to be comfortable within my own home with my family surrounding me. That is both spiritually and financially satisfying.<br />
<br />
Physically, I'm out of shape and I need to do something about it. A good friend of mine said the most important 5 words I've heard from anyone about my weight and my physical being; "You are now a statistic."<br />
Plain and simple. No malice, or intent. Just simply that I have become a statistic like so many other Americans today. I'm over weight, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraines, and at just 40 years of age, low testosterone and osteoarthritis. I'm the poster child for how not to be healthy. I can blame it on a lot of things, depression mostly, but what good does that do? It just delays the inevitable; a slow but early death. It hurts to type that. It hurts to re-read it. But the truth does hurt and sometimes it takes pain to get motivated. I'm doing what I can to make a difference in my life in more ways than one, but becoming healthier is a number one for me now. I have kids that I need to see grow up and I expect to be a damn good grandfather one day. I have to make those changes or I'll never live to see it happen.<br />
<br />
One of these days, I'd like to move out of Florida. Simply put, I hate the state, the weather, everything about it. I'd like to live in the mountains somewhere in my future, but still be close enough to the beach to see the ocean once in a while. I mention this because I think it fits within the physical category as well. Your surroundings have to be pleasant and calming or you will never find peace within yourself. Right now, I can find only so much peace. It may be enough, but the mountains call to me every year and each year it gets stronger and harder to resist. So, at some point, when I've straightened out other aspects of my life, I plan to make a life changing move to somewhere more peaceful.<br />
<br />
These are the places I'm going.Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-84322352135578871072013-02-28T09:13:00.001-05:002013-02-28T09:13:12.253-05:00Depression and the universeThis post will be less of a fun read because as of late, I've been feeling a bit down. To be honest, it's been more like 2 years straight, but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. The problem is, I don't know how to get out of this funk. I've been to a counselor, a psych, talked to friends and family and I've been on drugs to help enhance my mood. Nothing seems to be working.<br />
<br />
But I mentioned a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm feeling better, just still not "me". I want to do things that I enjoy, but when I set out to do them, I have no interest. Nothing lately brings me any joy or contentment. It's a shitty place to be in, I can tell you that. Still, it gets a little better every day. For instance, I haven't felt like writing in a long time and have a look at me now! Yay. That's simply because I'm tired of being this way and I want out, so I'm having to force myself to do things, even when I don't feel like it.<br />
<br />
A good friend of mine has been giving me insight in how to start turning things around and it's working. It's a simple little thing really; Be positive/Receive Positive. It's how the universe works and skeptics can check their hat at the door, cause I've seen it working first hand. Your outlook on life really does change the way universe receives you and gives back to you.<br />
<br />
For instance, the other day I was working on a problem at work. Long story short, a computer I was working on was giving me fits about installing a new OS. I tried all the tricks in my book and I was frustrated beyond belief. I walked a way for a few minutes, came back and said out loud, "Enough of this crap dammit! You're going to work this time." Well, it worked. Why? Because I came back with a positive reinforcement. I did nothing different from the numerous other attempts before. I just choose to stop letting it affect me negatively and turned it around. There are other instances but I think you get the idea.<br />
<br />
The hard part, is being this way every day. Some days I'm hit with the depression so hard first thing in the morning, that it's difficult to change over to a positive outlook. But I'm trying and that's what's making things better for me. It's a slow, sometimes painful process, but I'm getting there. Hell I'm talking and writing about it so that shows some improvement anyway.<br />
<br />
The take-away here kids, is to not give up and keep at it. Be positive, think positive and positive things will come to you. It's really that simple.<br />
<br />
Hopefully you'll see me back at it and up to my old stuff again soon. Peace.Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-51376622530542561442013-01-07T10:33:00.000-05:002013-01-07T10:33:51.883-05:00Best of Mac 2012<br />
Addictive tips has a great year end review of the best Apps of 2012 for Mac. Head over and get the apps you've been missing.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.addictivetips.com/mac-os/100-best-mac-apps-of-year-2012/?utm_source=AddictiveTips+List&utm_campaign=2beed61786-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email" target="_blank"><img alt="Best-Mac-Apps-Of-2012" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-139216" height="230" src="http://cloud.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Best-Mac-Apps-Of-2012.jpg" title="" width="658" /></a>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-36446661716912027722012-10-30T11:40:00.003-04:002012-10-30T11:40:38.119-04:00Close<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FDViAK3xpN1vQNNSCnZZnGE7QRtbLKY-t7Gq6At_CPwx5Ykuktb-aMkUjDNPPkY1P83L7KUEc3dW-VEQgADUZMfECzZxms5Q0QLbzyS280cFUWYt131pNL0SAXSt3fEiYde_qqqu/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FDViAK3xpN1vQNNSCnZZnGE7QRtbLKY-t7Gq6At_CPwx5Ykuktb-aMkUjDNPPkY1P83L7KUEc3dW-VEQgADUZMfECzZxms5Q0QLbzyS280cFUWYt131pNL0SAXSt3fEiYde_qqqu/s320/close.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><br /></strong></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><br /></strong></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong><br /></strong></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong>Close. </strong>It's a feeling, it's a proximity...it's people, it's a place, it's objects. They're close. </em></div>
<em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></em>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We are close. Sometimes so much so, that it feels like we're the same mind. We think alike, laugh about things without even saying anything. Connected at a fundamental level at all times.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Today's blog touches on what close means to you fellow bloggers and readers. Is it that touch or maybe a smell that brings back a fond memory or felling of closeness? Or is it more object oriented for you?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Closeness to me means all those things, but mostly how close I am to my family and my friends in spirit if not always in presence. It's Thanksgiving day surrounded by those who mean the most to us, or even a stranger we've invited in to dine with us. It's that chilly morning that Tina and I snuggle up close to one another to feel the warmth of our skin. It's the love and the loss I've felt over the past year of people so very close to me.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's a good book I've finished and long to experience again. And it's more.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
What's your's?</div>
Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-20288545920126551852012-07-05T10:08:00.003-04:002012-07-05T10:08:56.868-04:00On Turning 40So it's slowly closing in; that feeling of despair and the creeping realization that you're old now. In just 11 days, I will have turned 40 and while some say it's not that bad, others dread it like the plague. I'm on the fence. I don't feel old internally at least. The body creaks, bones moan and joints snap, crackle and pop like a bowl of Rice Crispies, but I still feel like a kid in my heart.<br />
<br />
The past year has been extremely difficult for me; three important people in my life passed on before their time, we've fought a hard battle over our home and I've become disconnected with friends and family. I've been in a bad place the past 12 months and while sometimes it gets better, there are days when I go back there, unwillingly. The difference in 6 months ago and today is that I see a light at the end of the tunnel and my time in the darkness becomes less and less each day. The struggle isn't over, but I've crested the peak and I'm coming back to better days.<br />
<br />
Turning 40 doesn't seem like such a big deal honestly. After the trials of the past year, hell the past 20 years, I think 40 is just my new 20's. I'm trying to do better physically and mentally and I'm trying to reconnect with my family. But there have been lessons along the way that were instrumental in my growth and in some ways, I think I needed this awakening. I needed to see just how short and precious life really is so that I can live it to the fullest each day. I needed to be hurt and hurt those I loved to understand the true value of love. I needed the time away to reflect on who I am, where I'm going and how I'm going to get there. The only thing that feels strange is the time it took me to get here. I had to grow up early and lost out on a lot of my childhood, but just because you are forced to become a man, doesn't make you one. It takes time, effort, love and a great deal of understanding. Some people never get it.<br />
<br />
So here I am, 11 days from my 40th birthday and I have regrets, but I also have a lot of success. Would I change anything? Sometimes I think I'd change some decisions but ultimately, no I wouldn't. I'd only like to have had the opportunity to learn more quickly, but then the journey would not have been complete. <br />
<br />
The one thing I can impart on my kids at this point is "ask questions". Talk to me about everything, don't hold back. It's something I wished I'd spent more time doing with those I loved. <span style="background-color: white;">Oh, and take more pictures. Life passes too quickly and these small snapshots of memories help us to capture the best and worst of times. It's a reflection on our life and how we lived it. This will be the first and most important thing on my bucket list.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">My gift to myself this year is just to make more of a difference, build the bucket list and start my journey. It's what Dad and Billy told me to do and it's time I get busy living.</span>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-6339344736223164452012-03-22T07:52:00.003-04:002012-03-22T07:52:52.551-04:00Hope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXwBQH76yO-rr0kR5T762_VrcWLzB6w0a8TPda0OQLIyNjSMyoys6fsXIVZ7N4xdWcggwpGPJtu-kzj1k281LLzCetDQl0Zz8-OHK8FC9XRqqxPrNwccIZhRMfAO4CkuWIK6Xm8v5/s1600/IMG_1600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXwBQH76yO-rr0kR5T762_VrcWLzB6w0a8TPda0OQLIyNjSMyoys6fsXIVZ7N4xdWcggwpGPJtu-kzj1k281LLzCetDQl0Zz8-OHK8FC9XRqqxPrNwccIZhRMfAO4CkuWIK6Xm8v5/s400/IMG_1600.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Nothing much with this post, just something someone very close to me wrote that made me think of the word "Hope" and a picture to describe what it means to me. This someone is going through a hard time right now with the recent loss of her husband. I love her dearly and I hope she knows how much we think of her and keep her in our thoughts and prayers.Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-52124199661268454612012-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:002012-01-24T10:00:07.735-05:00Eulogy for Grandpa Doug Ellison as written by Alyssa EllisonThis is very late, but I've not had the strength of heart to post it.<br />
<br />
My daughter Alyssa, wrote this beautiful piece just before we lost my dad in July. It was a school project and she choose to pick her grandfather for the subject, knowing how his time with us was quickly slipping away.<br />
<br />
Alyssa, I hope you know just how much this means to me. I only wished I had shared it with dad before he passed, but I was afraid of upsetting him. Now, in hind sight, I would have told him a lot more and not held anything back.<br />
<br />
I love you baby girl. Thank you for the wonderful memory of dad you've created for us.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.07810106594115496"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doug</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“My Grandpa “</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Very stubborn , independent , crazy at times but mostly loving </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lover of his family , dogs , and West Virginia </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who believed in fairness and the “Golden Rule “</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who wanted to complete his bucket list with Jack Nicholson </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">& </span><span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Morgan Freeman </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who was the most amazing Grandfather </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">& </span><span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">father anyone could ask for .</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who gave us the world when we wanted it </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">& </span></span><span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gave us all his love every moment he could </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who you always catch saying “I love you , Man “</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My grandpa who is truly an honest , hilarious , outstanding, caring man that you would never forget when you met him.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">~Alyssa Ellison </span></div>
</b></div>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-69165937630824723332012-01-10T15:42:00.001-05:002012-01-10T15:42:59.473-05:00You Become What You Pretend to Be | The Creativity Post<a href="http://www.creativitypost.com/create/you_become_what_you_pretend_to_be#.TwyiZzlElqA.blogger">You Become What You Pretend to Be | The Creativity Post</a><br />
<br />
<br />
I have to share this <a href="http://www.creativitypost.com/create/you_become_what_you_pretend_to_be" target="_self">fellow blogger's recent post</a>. It hits home on so many levels and defines who or what we becomes in life, based on how we approach life's many challenges.<br />
It's all about attitude.<br />Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-42524827437151711272011-12-14T15:56:00.001-05:002011-12-14T15:56:38.328-05:00Let's say you turned into a zombie while you were listening to your iPod. What one album would you want on repeat for the rest of your undead afterlife?<p class="formspringmeAnswer">Abbey Road.</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://www.formspring.me/velnias?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Anything</a></p>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-19627177246932685582011-12-14T15:55:00.003-05:002011-12-14T15:55:49.829-05:00You know, I really love kicking back and playing a good scary game every once in a while. What video game scares you the most?<p class="formspringmeAnswer">Dead Space. Hands Down.</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://www.formspring.me/velnias?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Anything</a></p>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-53102740387462832032011-12-14T15:55:00.001-05:002011-12-14T15:55:09.493-05:00Have you ever been to San Francisco? What's your favorite spot in your hometown? Snap a picture and show us in your response!<p class="formspringmeAnswer">Love San Francisco. Wife and I both felt it was one of the cleanest major cities we've ever visited. My favorite hometown spot is hard to place, but I'd have to say somewhere in the mountains of West Virginia or Tennessee.</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://www.formspring.me/velnias?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Anything</a></p>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-35853438662648896322011-12-14T15:34:00.001-05:002011-12-14T15:34:24.218-05:00You guys, in the movie version of your life, what actors should play you and I in the scene where we first meet?<p class="formspringmeAnswer">Kevin Smith would play me. For you, Richard Pryor.</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://www.formspring.me/velnias?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Anything</a></p>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-69415301208316319222011-12-14T15:28:00.001-05:002011-12-14T15:28:10.064-05:00Do you like playing in the snow?<p class="formspringmeAnswer">Yes! But I live in a perpetual green state...</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://www.formspring.me/velnias?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Anything</a></p>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-30930328147430800032011-12-14T15:07:00.001-05:002011-12-14T15:07:41.475-05:00You guys, what's the best gift you've ever given anyone? Also, what are you getting me for the holidays?<p class="formspringmeAnswer">I really don't know what the best gift I've given is. That would depend completely on who rec'd it and their opinion of the gift. The best gift I have ever rec'd would be the year my parents gave us a Christmas tree when we could barely afford to keep the heat on in the house. We didn't have much that year, but my mom knew how much having a tree meant to me and the family. Not sure what to get you Kevin....but I will say have a blessed Christmas and a safe, Happy New Year.</p><p class="formspringmeFooter"> <a href="http://www.formspring.me/velnias?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=shareanswer">Anything</a></p>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-30460928345348564712011-10-12T20:39:00.001-04:002011-10-12T20:39:08.753-04:00Photo Book<object width="425" height="425" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/flashslideshowphotobook/slideshow_pb.swf"/><param name="flashvars" value="xmlURL=http%3A%2F%2Fws.shutterfly.com%2Fpsdata%3FprojectGUID%3D0AZN3LFizctGhOLA%26uid%3D004049311972%26size%3D0%26ts%3D1318466211000%26height%3D425%26width%3D425&size=0&ob=0&fc=0&ss=0&sb=0&ft=0"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="quality" value="best"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><embed width="425" height="425" align="middle" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" name="wrapper" quality="best" menu="false" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="xmlURL=http%3A%2F%2Fws.shutterfly.com%2Fpsdata%3FprojectGUID%3D0AZN3LFizctGhOLA%26uid%3D004049311972%26size%3D0%26ts%3D1318466211000%26height%3D425%26width%3D425&size=0&ob=0&fc=0&ss=0&sb=0&ft=0" src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/flashslideshowphotobook/slideshow_pb.swf"></embed></object><p style="width:425px;margin-top:0;text-align:center;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZN3LFizctGjig&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=115">Click here to view this photo book larger</a><div style="margin-top: 10px; width: 425px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books" style="color: #6666cc;">Shutterfly</a> offers exclusive layouts and designs so you can make your book just the way you want.</div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=photobook&c2=blogger" /></p>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-31053103068472781892011-09-20T18:31:00.000-04:002011-09-20T18:32:29.517-04:00Retrieved<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.theiceplant.cc/images/retrieved_cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.theiceplant.cc/images/retrieved_cover.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors. </span>The dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble, along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Traveling across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas, 34, captured the remaining dogs in their twilight years in their homes where they still live with their handlers, a full decade on from 9/11. </span>Their stories have now been compiled in a book, called "Retrieved" which is was released on September 9th, in advance of the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Reprints of the book are due out in late October. Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, Charlotte wanted "Retrieved" to mark not only the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, but also as a way to offer special recognition for some of the first responders and their dogs.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">'I felt this was a turning point, especially for the dogs, who although they are not forgotten, have not been as prominent as other stories surrounding 9/11,' explained Charlotte, who splits her time between New York and Amsterdam.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYSx0HAIiB7qnsHDxpD74Wj9nADF52gY9P2vf77cSm6xwVqkEAt-8hgYGdFwXOWUeyk5p8Zxeqb51N2sXFEl6D7Dnl7qw9SIl7k2pOmasMGzrRvEL4NnqH4jGbpFtjhwxPO8wIK9G/s1600/moxie.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Now, ten years on, just twelve of these heroic canines survive, and they have been commemorated in a touching series of portraits entitled 'Retrieved'.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYSx0HAIiB7qnsHDxpD74Wj9nADF52gY9P2vf77cSm6xwVqkEAt-8hgYGdFwXOWUeyk5p8Zxeqb51N2sXFEl6D7Dnl7qw9SIl7k2pOmasMGzrRvEL4NnqH4jGbpFtjhwxPO8wIK9G/s1600/moxie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYSx0HAIiB7qnsHDxpD74Wj9nADF52gY9P2vf77cSm6xwVqkEAt-8hgYGdFwXOWUeyk5p8Zxeqb51N2sXFEl6D7Dnl7qw9SIl7k2pOmasMGzrRvEL4NnqH4jGbpFtjhwxPO8wIK9G/s200/moxie.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moxie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Moxie, 13, from Winthrop , Massachusetts , arrived with her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center on the evening of September 11 and searched the site for eight days.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpetRPWKb9ErnWmfKk3WTBICEoNMKyk0oLvPATNWqbBv2wOqL7Zcj65KQj6QrvIeMBVJSz64ZXy7tlCvKD97pM8xQqEOA_Y68RpIu4Wfc4I4YYp6HEDIAycQSNOgu3v6lFznnNDIV/s1600/tara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpetRPWKb9ErnWmfKk3WTBICEoNMKyk0oLvPATNWqbBv2wOqL7Zcj65KQj6QrvIeMBVJSz64ZXy7tlCvKD97pM8xQqEOA_Y68RpIu4Wfc4I4YYp6HEDIAycQSNOgu3v6lFznnNDIV/s200/tara.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tara</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, arrived at the World Trade Center on the night of the 11th. The dog and her handler Lee Prentiss were there for eight days.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBsIO_NG4ilMjo92LNeeBF9BMlcqSxnmLxDVOh2WAmsH2XHx2c995SmqMpCSJEC2OHcoZ1ZASNGJ1jrr47FtL1FZF0nrSEq9Qj_XJ2zTFnhduGvySoX7Z9yLaYRrjl9LPGWHi76FA/s1600/kaiser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBsIO_NG4ilMjo92LNeeBF9BMlcqSxnmLxDVOh2WAmsH2XHx2c995SmqMpCSJEC2OHcoZ1ZASNGJ1jrr47FtL1FZF0nrSEq9Qj_XJ2zTFnhduGvySoX7Z9yLaYRrjl9LPGWHi76FA/s200/kaiser.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaiser</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis , Indiana , was deployed to the World Trade Center on September 11 and searched tirelessly for people in the rubble.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGdVzBSWxPd-snWDeIg1LBNbLfUqtljEauYX5wKCOxVzEANak0WtER7GPZpwyjjbzLJjQ48NsObWWw8z1NHB2N1rapRNzEp-gFxHGP9jIMekV_bK0f9vhzJQZJjZpWOd4PwKcCkgI/s1600/bretagne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGdVzBSWxPd-snWDeIg1LBNbLfUqtljEauYX5wKCOxVzEANak0WtER7GPZpwyjjbzLJjQ48NsObWWw8z1NHB2N1rapRNzEp-gFxHGP9jIMekV_bK0f9vhzJQZJjZpWOd4PwKcCkgI/s200/bretagne.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bretagne and Owner Denise</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</span>Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHpF4hVkbagMURmCTP4CN8yP5_SYJGb5NwsI3q6SwA6_TfUnJnwlghvmh67Hrp9gYo-OHizkX3mlxaesVYY75AmHb4zDvpAy17bD4YRA09M9S2oqdJyEdtdhRJvqTABhfb1PDPq1J/s1600/bretagne_denise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHpF4hVkbagMURmCTP4CN8yP5_SYJGb5NwsI3q6SwA6_TfUnJnwlghvmh67Hrp9gYo-OHizkX3mlxaesVYY75AmHb4zDvpAy17bD4YRA09M9S2oqdJyEdtdhRJvqTABhfb1PDPq1J/s200/bretagne_denise.jpg" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jqSsr3IjKFcnIzD-6SAXB1wGWG20ivMJFSeIUn_WNhAL-ZKL_ckBMQSn0yJ5bEnW1x8eA1ocTuODfIW22v1xwCz69serWIrsuGcLRTNY63_ti2whyphenhyphenfsnaP4v2T-hvazryslqcdU8/s200/guinness.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Guinness</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jqSsr3IjKFcnIzD-6SAXB1wGWG20ivMJFSeIUn_WNhAL-ZKL_ckBMQSn0yJ5bEnW1x8eA1ocTuODfIW22v1xwCz69serWIrsuGcLRTNY63_ti2whyphenhyphenfsnaP4v2T-hvazryslqcdU8/s1600/guinness.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Guinness, 15, from Highland, California, started work at the site with Sheila McKee on the morning of September 13 and was deployed at the site for 11 days.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-L2EUW9T85Lfe3NJF98vTJCiv7tXLbdbBIXxfJQ3YUAWKiSIhuFmrowVDd4tKxZhqkPERIctz9djHBKe7JUF7SBMqa7XeDXUs39DB0UfLl8lh5udbfVqvJAghBNEIjklT7VeoZPo/s1600/merlyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-L2EUW9T85Lfe3NJF98vTJCiv7tXLbdbBIXxfJQ3YUAWKiSIhuFmrowVDd4tKxZhqkPERIctz9djHBKe7JUF7SBMqa7XeDXUs39DB0UfLl8lh5udbfVqvJAghBNEIjklT7VeoZPo/s320/merlyn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Meryln</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Merlyn and his handler Matt Claussen were deployed to Ground Zero on September 24, working the night shift for five days.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMVV94B5muFFCWaZC6p6hp3c5lRAe97EJq0ec8QkPki-i-A9Zn5XcxqcZLFh0f7DB-P2vmygjJ6nlUUeYgYxEppXi2-v3obZg7G2tYYResumBgWS7xbZ1otIHSt1mKWp6uLK8A3cj/s200/red.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Red</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMVV94B5muFFCWaZC6p6hp3c5lRAe97EJq0ec8QkPki-i-A9Zn5XcxqcZLFh0f7DB-P2vmygjJ6nlUUeYgYxEppXi2-v3obZg7G2tYYResumBgWS7xbZ1otIHSt1mKWp6uLK8A3cj/s1600/red.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi823mtwqlLN4MD8WtNd0woIhEHew72cH_VX5RzIxB-z1K0BpTN4Exg8t2n6SQP6MBKV0QMd3xLu_in5uv7zXkm7PGUDRsN9OG42RuOMT8fMVmpNEq52_rq9soaEtXBV1pnPS6LPhB5qRs/s200/abigail.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Abigail</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Red, 11, from Annapolis, Maryland, went with Heather Roche to the Pentagon from September 16 until the 27 as part of the Bay Area Recovery Canines.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgufcw8jtCElhpxmDZQMwfSPWCb769KLUdhOpnLYDOCmWMeLrPJ01blOmR5wzk7swbF3hrO3T-9VDgDhxxbLHCmO8rTs3UKh9CwaIlEGptIMWZLYx9QSBCZpFm674k8T9pefL-xZq_x4/s200/tuff.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tuff</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Abigail, was deployed on the evening of September 17, searching for 10 days while Tuff, arrived in New York at 11:00 pm on the day of attack to start working early the next day.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTj9zOiUQvPROIKuOJQtmvsZbfmgqasxND_bryYvtrHfez9cQfMycZrCXdCBdvXCpgd4WlUD_PxMOYR2T0TdFcCOccJlH3fR-HhwuXPZkTfefitJkKupDz9oiSSwFP3NiKpINL_UZmQ0/s200/hoke.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hoke</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTj9zOiUQvPROIKuOJQtmvsZbfmgqasxND_bryYvtrHfez9cQfMycZrCXdCBdvXCpgd4WlUD_PxMOYR2T0TdFcCOccJlH3fR-HhwuXPZkTfefitJkKupDz9oiSSwFP3NiKpINL_UZmQ0/s1600/hoke.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Handler Julie Noyes and Hoke were deployed to the World Trade Center from their home in Denver on September 24 and searched for five days.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G55IDX30WR-FlaDSS2r8X0kisNIs1hAIgg_Uf0mkvWcCEuj_Jt0W_AiRvbc5WechGZcnVTBEPmpD0ar1f5tXqqVPOnmcwzecTRI_cMqN7tXfa2dm9WMIQbzAEHOMuUiAWKtMgedAPzY/s200/scout.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Scout</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Scout and another unknown dog lie among the rubble at Ground Zero, just two of nearly 100 search and rescue animals who helped to search for survivors</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
'They speak to us as a different species and animals are greatly</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
important -- [they enhance] our sense of empathy and [teach us] to put things into perspective.'</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-37383435819913680162011-09-14T20:00:00.001-04:002011-09-14T21:37:57.278-04:00Doublespeak 101: How your Government Lies to youSneaky: sneak·y/ˈsnēkē/; Adjective: Furtive; sly: "sneaky, underhanded tactics". See, US Government.<br />
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2knaGPEVi5phuOThBaQAHyqfDTaQ7o-pt8SDuxMH7rtAARgnBt6r0AAbrDGS9tBN5vu__5gOQlz0iPkc4BgQ4vO9H6PbhELqwEfLORMSG9ETeU3_-17-4pEg2rMbP3BPTxdm3WqYd/s1600/sneaky-cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2knaGPEVi5phuOThBaQAHyqfDTaQ7o-pt8SDuxMH7rtAARgnBt6r0AAbrDGS9tBN5vu__5gOQlz0iPkc4BgQ4vO9H6PbhELqwEfLORMSG9ETeU3_-17-4pEg2rMbP3BPTxdm3WqYd/s200/sneaky-cat.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All kidding aside, there is always a good reason for the people of the United States, especially her registered voting public, to know <b><i>exactly</i></b> what it is you are voting for. Take for example the following bill introduced to the House of Representatives back on May 25, 2011:</div>
<br />
<h1 style="border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 226, 219); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Free Serif', 'Nimbus Roman No9 L', 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: -1px;">H.R. 1981</span>: Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011</h1>
<div style="color: #545454; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
Seems innocent enough right? We all want to protect our children from the perverse nature of sexual predators, regardless of intent. I'll be honest and state right here that looking at the bill in the manner it was presented to me, had me thinking this isn't a bad thing and caught me off guard. Only later, researching the bill, do we see the true nature and the full extent that our government is willing to go, just to invade our privacy.<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #545454; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div>
To be fair and to give credit to the folks that wrote and presented the bill in it's true form, H.R. 1981 was originally about protecting children. Sadly, like most things our government gets it's hands on, it's been twisted from it's intent and seeks to invade the privacy of every American who browses the internet from any device, any where, any time. The Patriot Act was just one stepping stone and this is yet another avenue to dig deeper into our personal lives.<br />
<div>
<br />
I won't bore you with all the gory details and let you read the bill for yourself, as you should, and not take mine or any one else's word for gospel truth. I will however, skip to the most intriguing part of the bill in order to save you some time:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 0em; padding-bottom: 0.1em; padding-left: 0.1em; padding-right: 0.1em; padding-top: 0.1em;">
<b>SEC. 4. RETENTION OF CERTAIN RECORDS BY ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION SERVICE PROVIDERS.</b></div>
<br />
(a) In General- <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/usc-cgi/newurl?type=titlesect&title=18&section=2703">Section 2703 of title 18, United States Code</a>, is amended by adding at the end the following:<br />
<a href="http://www.govtrack.us/embed/sample-billtext.xpd?bill=h112-1981&version=ih&nid=t0%3Aih%3A28"></a><a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-1981&version=ih&nid=t0%3Aih%3A28"></a><br />
‘(h) Retention of Certain Records- A provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service shall retain for a period of at least 18 months the temporarily assigned network addresses the service assigns to each account, unless that address is transmitted by radio communication (as defined in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934).’.<br />
<a href="http://www.govtrack.us/embed/sample-billtext.xpd?bill=h112-1981&version=ih&nid=t0%3Aih%3A29"></a><a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-1981&version=ih&nid=t0%3Aih%3A29"></a><br />
(b) Sense of Congress- It is the sense of Congress that records retained pursuant to <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/usc-cgi/newurl?type=titlesect&title=18&section=2703">section 2703(h) of title 18, United States Code</a>, should be stored securely to protect customer privacy and prevent against breaches of the records.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What does this mean exactly? Well my fellow American's, it means that each and every one of us will be treated as a criminal. Guilty until proven innocent. An invasion of our right to privacy. For those of you who failed your US Government classes, that's the 4th amendment to the Bill of Rights. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The bill will mandate that any provider of electronic communication or remote computing service (your internet provider) to retain <i><b>at least</b></i> 18 months of log files on each and every leased computer IP address assigned to it's customers accounts. Your computer IP address is the unique number assigned to your computer from the moment it gets internet access from your provider, be it home PC, Mobile Device, internet enabled vehicles and so on. Anything you search for, research, post on a message board or share about your life on a social network, is now 100% available to the US Government, at all times, for a period of time equal to 18 months.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8QO4c9lbf6RSmBz63e_ilPsmHN2ydw5bVy7jVhs1k2XlfUJVY0eUG7JUAuiTZOxsR1OIHMlG28d9RXSDkg1xKGqsjD3I4qwzeowjb_A5O4b0Dkc6pfBQMsU5T2koMPcAi18abmKy/s1600/surveil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8QO4c9lbf6RSmBz63e_ilPsmHN2ydw5bVy7jVhs1k2XlfUJVY0eUG7JUAuiTZOxsR1OIHMlG28d9RXSDkg1xKGqsjD3I4qwzeowjb_A5O4b0Dkc6pfBQMsU5T2koMPcAi18abmKy/s1600/surveil.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
Imagine having all your dirty laundry from that nasty divorce your going through, instantly available to your estranged spouse's attorney. Those pics you shared with your friends on your last drunken night of debauchery before the wedding, are now available online for the right person. Your private medical logs, discussions with your doctor, or labs that are now easily available to you online, have just become open reading for the United States Government.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Am I exaggerating? Possibly to small degree, but consider this; nothing online is safe no matter how well you think you are protected. The US Government or any local municipal authority only needs "suspicion" of child exploitation to go snooping through your private stuff. Have nothing to hide? Neither do I, but I still don't want anyone to have access to my personal info without a damn good reason, and while you think that this is just the extent of the bill's problems, I haven't even started on hackers or other unscrupulous individuals looking to find "info" on you or a member of your family, especially if that info is related to one of your kids. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The very bill that was originally trying to protect our children, will become a tool to use against them. If you think for a second that this law will protect you and your kids, think more outside the box. If passed, this bill would hand deliver access to all our personal information, packaged nicely in gift wrap and ribbons of 18 months worth of data, to those who have the knowledge, tools and means of finding it. The Government is the least of our worries folks. Just ask <a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/did_anonymous_hack_sonys_playstation_/16795694.html">Sony</a>, <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/anonymous-speaks-the-inside-story-of-the-hbgary-hack.ars/">HBGary</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/anonymous-hackers-bank-of-america-wikileaks-emails-documents-2011-3">Bank of America</a>, and a plethora of other well know institutions, how having their vulnerabilities shared to the world really feels. Then stop to ask yourself if you are prepared to share your own.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you, like myself, are not yet ready to give out access to your own or your loved ones personal lives, visit a small group called <a href="https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=497&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=electronic_frontier_foundation">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a> to get more info. They'll even help you write to your favorite Representative and count you among the many who have already taken action to stop this bill from seeing the light of day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-74976896229951420082011-09-09T14:04:00.000-04:002011-09-09T14:05:15.559-04:00A Very She and Him Christmas - Zooey Deschanel<a href="http://zooeydeschanel.tumblr.com/post/9972527919/a-very-she-him-christmas-so-excited-you"></a>
Thanks Zooey for sharing this wonderful news. I loved you since you sang in Elf. Can't wait to hear the new Christmas Tunes!!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_193456638"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonysNJk_9mGwIm_CNRzWmMt7T-RYLzVAcfnRlaYg5G1zRtpBU1P_VCXZSHgzLCXnkp1Y2c2WAG5r7RZER6BBRY3tIqXvO4MxzedNWCiXsWsSNhTJBt0PxTgrz-XQGL7sJDN4vpctE/s320/zoeey.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://zooeydeschanel.tumblr.com/post/9972527919/a-very-she-him-christmas-so-excited-you">A Very She and Him Christmas</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159578091774401994.post-1830036271256302672011-08-02T23:05:00.001-04:002011-08-02T23:07:38.763-04:00Don't Weep for Me<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;">Dad had me looking for a specific poem several weeks ago. Something he'd seen or read before that he wanted to share with his brother and sister. I found this one instead and he liked it so I made a copy. It brings me a little comfort reading it and today was a little better. I still have trouble being alone or sitting too long where I tend to think too much, but all I can do is take this one day at a time. </div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;">I'm sharing the poem with you, in hopes that it might bring someone else comfort in a time of need. I will share the actual poem dad was looking for tomorrow.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;">Don't Weep For Me </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">If ever you should get the word; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">That I went unexpectedly. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Please don't waste your precious time; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Crying needless tears for me. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">If I was to leave tomorrow; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">For a far much better place. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Please know that I would see you; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And would look upon your face. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">No matter where, or when I go; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">I will always be with you. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Right there, always at your side; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Helping to see you through. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And know that we will meet again; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">In a far off, better land. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Where we will hug each other again; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And walk together, hand in hand. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">I will always treasure what we had; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And you're forever in my heart. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And remember the precious life we shared; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">For you played a most important part. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">So, don't shed any tears for me; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Be happy that I have gone. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">For I'll be with my loved ones then; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And will never again, be alone. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Spend your precious time on earth; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Helping those that are now left here. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And making other friends to love; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Remembering, I will always be near. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Weep not for those that have gone on; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">For they are now at peace. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">They took that final walk towards home; </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">And all their pain and trials have ceased. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><div style="line-height: 1.5em;">© Betty Hawkins 2003 </div></span>Velniashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07723624836436022464noreply@blogger.com0