Now, I’m not a huge sports fan, by any stretch of the imagination…but I would pay to see these girls perform.  I know they’re doing this for a half-time show during a basketball game, but they deserve the credit for being great athletes in their own right.  These girls are impressive!

Okay, I just read this article and have to say I’m totally AMAZED!  I was impressed when I thought these girls were college students–but they’re NOT…they are grade school and junior high school students!  Wow…just wow!

Kristen Hall, now a senior at Kings High School and a former Firecracker of four years. “It really helped me grow and it made me more comfortable about my self-esteem after performing in front of thousands of people.”

The team has performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, on the Late Show with David Letterman, at a Chicago Bulls game (as well as many, many college games), and in the 2005 Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington DC.  And to think…it all started because one teacher was creative and cared enough to open up another sports team opportunity for girls that she was given responsibility for!

Kudos to Coach Lynn Kelley for making a HUGE impact on these girls lives and being a great role model!  We need more teachers like her!

Check the Kings Firecrackers Website to see if they are performing near you!

So, it’s dark grey on the outside and has grey interior.  Not a ton of bells and whistles, but it does have the electric side doors, leather seats and heated seats, which will be nice next winter.

We now have a vehicle that we feel comfortable to take on long trips.  Don’t worry, we’ll call ahead!  :o)

50 Ways to Leave Your ‘puter

By Morag Mortimer-Smythe

Do you have problems tearing yourself away from your computer? Stay up half the night burning the midnight oil? Completely knackered the following morning?

Then you may need to practise Simonism. Any Paul Simon song is usually guaranteed to send me to sleep but I find this one from the 70’s gives the best results. Singing this song to yourself 5 minutes before you intend to shut down will soon have you snuggled up in bed in no time.

50 Ways To Leave Your ‘Puter

(Verse)

The problem is all inside my head I thought to me

The answer is easy if I take it logically

This song helps me in my struggle to be free

There must be fifty ways to leave your ‘puter

(Verse)

It is really not my habit to intrude

Furthermore I hope my meaning won’t be lost or misconstrued

But I’ll repeat myself at the risk of being crude

There must be fifty ways to leave your ‘puter

Fifty ways to leave your ‘puter

(Chorus)

You just put down the mouse

Klaus

Alt., control, delete

Pete

You just pull out the plug

Doug

Just get yourself free

Don’t make a big fuss

Russ

You don’t need to install stuff

Just flick the ‘off’ key

Lee

And get yourself free

(Verse)

You know, it grieves me so to see me in such pain

But in the morning I can reboot up again

Until then I’ll just repeat this crap refrain

About the fifty ways

(Chorus)

You just turn off the switch

Mitch

Alt., control, delete

Pete

Don’t be a big girl

Earl

Just get yourself free

No need for a fuss

Russ

You don’t need to install stuff

Just flick the off key

Lee

And get yourself free

 

We drove in from Michigan, Nathan and family drove in from North Carolina, and Bret and family drove in from Ohio.  We all arrived within hours of each other.  By the time we got there, Dad had come to and was doing much better than he had been the previous night.   He continued to get better over the next couple of days…miraculously so!  The doctor sent him home from the hospital on Friday!  God was truly gracious!

While the situation wasn’t ideal, it was nice to see all the family.  There were actually two new little ones that have been born since we’ve all been together–and they’re a year and a half old!

Yesterday, I interviewed for and landed an internship position with Diva Talk Radio as a Production Assistant.  I’m very excited about it.  While it’s an unpaid internship, I will be learning a lot of new things that will be great new additions to my skill set and my resume. (Isn’t the Diva adorable?)  Some of the things I will be doing include:

I’m excited to work with Kelly Claypool, who is the owner of Diva Talk Radio and Briefcase Diva.  We had a good talk yesterday and I think we’re going to hit it off very well.  She is also a Christian and has similar values to mine, which is a great starting point!  I’m excited to learn the back-end of the podcasting arena, as that is something brand new to me.  You can listen to the podcast online, if you’d like!

Then today, when I opened my email, if found out that I’ve won a one-year subscription to the Freelance Switch Job Board by entering a comment contest!  I’m so excited!  

God has been so good lately!  First, the play…now another exciting opportunity with the internship…and the Freelance subscription.  I’m not really sure where He is leading, but I’m certainly enjoying the journey!

Oh, on a side note….I also just purchased a Magic Jack VOIP device.  It’s got rave reviews–it even received a PC Mag Editor’s Choice Award!  They said:

BOTTOM LINE: So simple it’s almost perfect, the magicJack is the best home voice-over-IP gadget I’ve seen to date. Excellent call quality, a workable set of calling features, and an amazing price make this little box the VoIP wonder to beat.

So, I’ll post my review after I’ve worked with it for a while.  I know we can’t get rid of our house phone because of the DSL, but it will probably be clearer reception than the cell phones for long distance–and we can take it anywhere.  

If nothing else, I can use it as a business phone.  I signed up for a year for $39, including the hardware, and it’s $19.99 per year after that–you supply a physical phone.  There’s a 30-day, risk-free, money-back guarantee–even including return postage!  They must be pretty confident about how good it is!  I’ll let you know!