Organ donors

Sending prayers to all the victims and their familes of Hurricane Katrina.

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Strides for Change Walk
My girlfriend and I signed up for a walk with our local UAW sisters to support the efforts of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). It is a few weeks away, but something to look forward to. That is one thing about my company and the UAW that impresses me, they have so many groups that they support. Be it "Toys for Tots," helping victims of disasters, sending support to soliders in Iraq, etc.

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I read an amazing story the other day in our company newspaper.

I'll try to make a long story short. It was about a man, Steven Dulka who in 1997 had contracted a virus that caused Cardiomyopathy, a disease that enlarges and weakens the heart muscles. Eventually his condition had gotten worse, and the doctors informed him that the only thing that would keep him alive would be a heart transplant.

In 1999 Steven had met a woman named Deidre that he fell in love with. Last year on her birthay he asked his doctor to let him out of the hospital so that he could take her to a nice restaurant and ask her to marry him. He did not get the chance to ask her that evening because he collapsed shortly after arriving at the restaurant. Eventually he did get to ask her, and a Oct 2, 2004 wedding date was set.

On October 2, the day of his wedding, shortly before noon he received a call. The call was from his contact at the transplant center that stated, "We've got a heart for you if you want to come and get it." They quickly got married ahead of schedule that day and he had his heart transplant.

Can you imagine actually "getting a heart" and in a sense giving your heart away in the same day?

Dulka said in the article, "I know that the heart came from someone who had an unfortunate accident, but I also know it was from someone who wanted someone else to live and benefit from their gift of life."

In April 2005, the Chrysler Group, along with General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., Compuware and the UAW, launched a three-year campaign to increase awareness and organ donation registrations. Approximately 89,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant. Each day, about 74 people receive an organ transplant, but 17 people die waiting for transplants that cannot take place because of the shortage of donated organs. For more information or to register as an organ donor, go to www.iaod.org

Dulka also said "We could save so many more people, if more people would just say yes."

This story was on the news and in newspapers around the country, but the story is about a man that works within my corporation. I do not know him personally, but I just felt so touched by the article that I knew it was worth repeating.

Best Wishes to the Mr. & Mrs. and their new lease on life!

Mall Sketches

Ever seen one of those booths at the mall that make computerized portraits. This is one that Rona and I had done a few years ago. I think it is pretty cool looking. We had several made this is just one of them.

Smile Together

May 2004

This is my sister, mom and myself on
our way to my nephews
highschool graduation ceremony.

Cute as a bug

We find delight in the beauty
and happiness of children
that makes the heart too
big for the body.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

This is Rona Leigh as a toddler Isn't she cute?
She made this little pose all on her own, I was
just there ready with the camera.

~Live, Love, Laugh~

Pumpkin patch

This photo was taken in 2003. Rona and Joey are showing off one of the pumpkins they picked from the pumpkin patch. Jason is off somewhere searching for his prize possession. Unfortunately after taking this picture I ran out of film so I didn't get a shot of all three of them together with their pumpkins. I love black & white photos though, so I am glad that I altered this picture.

A smile

May 21, 2004

A smile costs nothing but gives so much. It enriches those
who receive without making poorer those who give.
It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes
lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he
cannot be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness
in the home, fosters goodwill in business and is the
countersign of friendship.
It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the
discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and is
nature's best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot
be brought, begged, borowed, or stolen,
for it is something that is of no value to anyone until
it is given away.
Some people are too tired to give you a smile.
Give them one of yours, as none needs a
smile so much as he who has no more to give.

~author unknown~

Adore, Cherish, Nurture, Treasure

Adore, Cherish, Nurture, Treasure

This picture was taken several years
ago with my boys. Rona Leigh
took the picture of me and the boys lying on
my bed together.

Huh, Monkey see monkey do!

A Tinsel Christmas with Father

This is a scrapbook page that I created about a year ago. It is of my maternal grandfather with his three oldest children. My mother is the one sitting on the floor between his legs. I really enjoy this picture. It reminds me so much of an Old Fashioned Christmas. Remember when the trees actually use to have all of that tinsel on it, you don't see that very often any more.

What rejected crayon am I?

You are

What Rejected Crayon Are You?


Yes, I know I am going a bit crazy with this online quiz thing. Anyways, this is
my rejected crayon color.

Miracle on 34th Street

Your Christmas is Most Like: Miracle on 34th Street

Sweet and caring, Christmas is about helping for you. While Santa may not exist, you try to share his spirit.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. I love to get ready for the holiday. I love the decorations, turning the lights down low, lighting a candle, maybe listening to some Bing Crobsy Christmas tunes. To me it is very relaxing.

I also enjoy all of the hustle, and bustle of Christmas shopping, being surrounded by the Christmas spirit.

It is funny that this is the movie that came up for me, because this is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I have a copy of it on my shelf.

How weird am I?

You Are 20% Weird

Not enough to scare other people... But sometimes you scare yourself.

How Weird Are You?

Fortune cookie

Your Fortune Is

Man who scratch ass should not bite fingernails.

The Wacky Fortune Cookie Generator

This just happened to be my fortune, hahaha.

I know how to embarrass myself

I had lunch today with a "friend." Usually I don't talk about dates, but I have to tell this one little thing. I usually have these long beautiful acrylic nails. I decided recently to take them off. Instead of doing what a "normal" person would do like soak them off, I decided to just wait until I could "pop" them off myself. While I was sitting with my friend I started playing with one of these nails, suddening the acrylic popped off of my nail and into my blouse between my breasts. Of course he DID notice it, so I couldn't just let it be and pretend it never happened and dig it out later. I had to reach down my blouse into my bra to fetch it out, talk about embarrassing. He was sweet though and offered to fetch it for me. haha

You're 36?

My daughter is such a sweetheart. She was looking at my profile and noticed that it said I was 36. She exclaims, "YOU'RE 36?!" Duh!!!! Nothing like making mom feel old. I accidently typed 26 instead of 36 and she said "OH yeah, you wish you were 26." Yeah I do, that would only make her 3 and she wouldn't be standing over my shoulder reading what I am typing.

You gotta love them though!

Z Coil shoes

These shoes are made by Z Coil shoes.

My daughter thinks that they are cool looking, but I think they look weird as heck. I could not imagine myself ever wearing them, but I did see someone yesterday at work wearing a pair. Of course I had to ask about them. Actually I sent someone to walk down the line to ask they guy who made them and what they were like.

The guy said that he had a bad back and that the shoes really did help him. He said that they were like walking on air.

I guess they look weird, but if your standing on your feet all day long like I do maybe it is something that is worth investing in. Speaking of investing, someone said that these shoes run around $150 or $200 per pair. I checked out their website and I couldn't find a price anywhere on it, maybe that is why.

Of course I wore combat boots for six months straight in Desert Storm, so I know that I have feet made of steel and could tolerate wearing a much less expensive pair of shoes to work everyday.

What is love?

Just something that I was reminded of today....

I was late walking into one of my psychology classes a few years back. As I walked in the professor asked me, "Rhonda, what is love?"

My response (note that I was the only divorced person in the room), "I thought I knew once but obviously I was mistaken."

My great BIG empty space

I can't seem to come up with a single thing to write about. I browse different blogs and I see so much creativity. Everyone has a opinion about one thing or another. Something that I have realized about myself is that I do have opinions, but unless someone asks me about something in particular I can't seem to discuss anything that most people would consider "interesting." (oh trust me I do have an opinion and if you ask any of my friends I will openly express it when the time arises.

Two things that peek my interest are my children (which I do tend to talk about) and my job (or my friends at work). I will speak often about my children, but I have decided not to include conversations about my job because I would like to keep it. I don't think discussing work on my blog (having me thinking it is appropriate, and them thinking it is not) is something that I am willing to risk.

So this leaves me to discuss any other ridiculous subject that pops into my head. Unfortunately today it is a great big empty space.

Dirty movie

About six years ago my son, Jason, was browsing through our VHS collection. He would have been about four years old at the time. He stumbled upon one that he didn't recall ever seeing before. He asked my sister to put it into the VCR for him. She grabbed it and THANK GOD she looked at it before putting it in the machine. The words came out of her mouth a bit too quickly, "Oh no!! that's a dirty movie." Jason looked, then ran off. When he returned he came back with a wet washcloth....to clean it off. LOL

This was a present left for me by my ex-husband after our divorce. Ha, Ha, he thought he was funny.

Late night escapades

Do you want to see how goofy your kids really are?

All you have to do is go to bed early and leave your digital camera out on the desk. Make sure you have the batteries charged, because if your kids are anything like mine they will figure out how to use the video recorder and will show you exactly how silly they really are.

What goofballs I have. Rona was the leader of the group. Jason stood back as an innocent observer (while eating a bowl of cereal, yes that was caught on camera). Rona put on some dark sun glasses and focused the camera directly on her (this is where you catch Jason devouring a bowl on Cookie Crisp cereal). As she looks into the camera she starts saying over and over "oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah" as she shifts her eyebrows up and down over the top of her shades. What's really funny is that you can see Jason in the background watching her, but he is unconsciously doing the same thing with his eyebrows while he shovels spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth. Suddenly the camera shifts to Joey who starts shaking his head and repeating "Oh my God." Why I have no idea.

This was just one of their episodes for the evening. They did about five different ones for my viewing pleasure. Now I am confident that I am raising a bunch of goofballs.

Rona DaVinci

DaVinci had his Mona Lisa, Rona has her self-portrait titled "self-portrait." LOL

Rona said that I could only post this on my blog if I made sure to let everyone know that she did it when she was in fourth grade.

I don't care if she doesn't like it, I love it.