Elton John in Vegas

My folks are leaving next Wednesday for Las Vegas to attend the big annual convention for my dad’s company. They always have the convention in Las Vegas and wives are encouraged to go, as they host events that couples can attend and they also leave large blocks of time for networking or spending time on the Strip. Dad wants to surprise my mom with tickets to a show that she thinks he does not want to see. He told me that the truth is he would like to see the Elton John show, but he wants her to think otherwise so he can surprise her. They are going to be in Vegas for the convention until Sunday, but my dad decided to stay an extra night and have some fun. So they have several nights there to fill with entertainment.

Since they go to this convention every year, they have already seen a lot of the big shows. The Elton John show is new and only there for a short time, so he wasn’t sure he could even get tickets. I told him about the web site that I used last time I was in Vegas, www.BestofVegas.com and that if he wants tickets, this is the best site for buying them. All the top shows in Vegas are listed on the site and you can read show reviews, see clips of the different performances, and buy your tickets online. Elton John is one of the biggest Las Vegas Shows booked this year, and my folks are lucky that the convention coincides with Elton John’s appearances. My mom has been a huge fan of Elton John since she was a kid. Her favorite song is “Candle in the Wind.” When she hears that on the radio it makes her think of Princess Diana’s accidental death and it makes her cry. I think any song that can make you cry is a great testament to the strength of the song.

The “Aha Moment”

Sometimes a new concept comes up in conversation and it really strikes you as an “aha moment.” When your brain wakes up to something new and worthwhile. During the family Christmas dinner, one of the things that we talked about – and we talked about a lot of things and someone mentioned how much stress they are feeling in their everyday life. I was thinking that although I don’t feel a lot of stress, that I do have this unsettled feeling that gets bothersome and I could use a little re-assurance or motivation. Then someone else at the party mentioned a TV show about finding balance between work and your home life.

In fact, there is a new network dedicated to this subject and I read about it this morning on MindfulLivingTV.com. This website is my “aha moment” because their philosophy is to embrace the life you are living and experience it for the moments you have. They have full transformation episodes that can inspire you to face your fears, get advice from experts on medical and spiritual issues, and find your passion. I have sent the link to this wonderful website to everyone that was at the dinner table, most of them will delete it but maybe at least one of them will take a moment to check out what they have to say and have their own “aha moment.”

Did you know…

It doesn’t take much to find all types of trivia these days, but I found this information on a print out that they give the customers at the coffee store that I go to once in a while. I don’t drink coffee, but once in a while I’ll treat myself to a nice hot mocha with whipped cream. It’s a nice quiet little place and I love that they have things for their customers to read and contemplate.

Shocking: An electric eel has a current-producing organ that can generate an average charge of 350 volts. The rivers of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru are where you’ll find an eel that produces the greatest shock – from 400 to 650 volts.

Devoted daddy: The male emperor penguin shares incubating duties with the female when she lays her one large egg. Later, the female is away feeding when the egg hatches, so the male feeds the baby by regurgitating a milky substance.

Always the name: A nine-banded armadillo has an unusual claim to fame. It almost always gives birth to quadruplets of the same sex, resulting from the fact one egg usually divides into four parts.

The mile: It was Queen Elizabeth I who decided a statute mile should be 5,280 feet or 1,609 meters. It was based on walking distance established by the Romans, who said 1,000 paces made up a land mile.

Waking early: In 1787, Levi Hutchins of Concord, New Hampshire, came up with one of the earliest versions of an alarm clock. For the rest of us, it might not have been too attractive. It could only ring at one time – 4a.m.

Taken from Coffee News “News to be enjoyed over coffee”

Monk, Reduced To ReRuns

private eye  I have been enjoying for the past few years the show on the USA channel about this poor/blessed man called MONK.  I remember the actor playing a part on the sitcom WINGS which was based in a small airport in Nan Tuckett, what a difference in characters for the actor Tony Shalhoub to play.

I’ve watched the show so much that Hubby has even gotten a soft spot for the obsessive-compulsive detective and now our youngest and some of his friends enjoy watching him when they get a chance.

Come to find out that even both my sisters have been MONK fans and have even read some of the books, which have been passed down to me to read, still waiting on the last one, hint, hint, sis!

If you haven’t seen the show check it out……Even though they stopped filming a few years ago, there are reruns galore of this outrageous hit TV show.

Monk is a detective afraid of the dark, a gumshoe afraid of gum. He has no problem cracking a case – as long as it doesn’t involve heights or germs, and is in close proximity to his apartment. Other than solving his wife’s murder, Monk would like nothing more than to gain back his position on the San Francisco police force, but can he pull himself together and get back to solving crimes full time?

Fundraising Is A Fact Of Life

Gone are the days in most cities and towns across America when kids were sent knocking on people’s doors trying to sell folks items for a fundraiser.  Let’s face it, schools, churches, sports and all the other non-profit groups, they all desperately need money and fundraising can be a lucrative way to get it.

Unfortunately in today’s world it isn’t necessarily safe for our children to go around the neighborhoods anymore.  Most fundraisers specifically request that the kids do not go door to door anymore, they tell you to have family, co-workers and close family friends help in supporting the organization.

With having two kids I have done my fair share of fundraising and I certainly will still participate when I can.  It was a lot easier when members of my immediate family were all living pretty close to each other, now a days everyone is spread out all over the darn country so that puts a damper on using them as a resource, for the most part.

I ran across a really cool fundraising program on the Web called Schoolpop.com and I am going to contact our elementary school and see if they would be interested in participating in this non-traditional school fundraiser opportunity.

By using Schoolpop, you can pay down your tuition and any extracurricular activity costs, it can assist in paying back student loans for college and help your school earn monies, all year round by shopping at the several hundred listed of name -brand merchants and service providers whether it be online, in stores, catalogs purchases, even with gift cards or with the Schoolpop Visa credit card.

You can apply for the Schoolpop Visa credit card right on line!  Every purchase that you make for your groceries, gas, clothing, movies, restaurants  – it contributes 1% to the student’s school.

It sounds like Schoolpop may be a way to raise money that would/should be embraced by our school and the families, we shall see when I call them this week.  I’ll also call my sister who has a son in a very nice private school and see if she would be interested in learning a cool and easy way to raise money for private schools along with us in the public school system.

Major Headache – Possible Migraine

The other evening I was starting to feel a bit grumpy and was fighting to keep a headache at bay, when all of a sudden I started vomiting (ugh, I know) and it was downhill from there.

bitemebl

Never had a headache like that before so I am assuming that it was a migraine, boy I don’t want that to happen again. I know several people that deal with migraines off and on and I just can’t imagine feeling like that, once in a life time is enough for me. To think that some folks can and do deal that type of pain daily, OMG!

Any ways hubby is finally feeling much better, he and the kids were a great help, they took good care of me and I’m feeling a bit better this afternoon.  The house is nice and quiet, not sure where anyone is, but I really don’t care – the house is never quiet like this, not on a week-end. Shhh….