Memory Walk 2009

For the past 4 years, I have gladly participated in the annual Memory Walk. This is an effort to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association. As most of you know, this horrible disease claimed my grandmother, and I want to do everything I can to help prevent it in the rest of my family. Please consider making a donation to this great cause. Your money will not be wasted. You can visit my Walker Website .

Thanks for your support!
Candace

Idol Disappointment

24 Million votes for the very first voting episode?? That is unreal. Ryan Seacrest, Simon Fuller, Simon Cowell and FOX are making an absolute killing with Idol!

That inconceivableness (not a word) aside, I was a little bummed about one of my favorites, Ricky Braddy. 1) He is cute as a button; 2) He appears to be precious; 3) He can flat sing! Yet, he did not get the popular vote. Can we set up some sort of electoral college voting system for AI? :) Here's hoping he will get a wildcard spot....because I just love him!

PS...I love how the only videos on YouTube about Idol that aren't banned are by people who can't spell "perform"!

American Idol - Week 1 Predictions

So, I was not that impressed by last night performances, save 2...

Ricky Braddy and Danny Gokey came to WIN! I have ALWAYS loved Danny from the very start. I must admit however, that I didn't even know who Ricky Braddy was until last night.



Predictions

Guy - Danny Gokey
Girl - Alexis Grace (I was not all that impressed, but it has to be someone)
3rd - Ricky Braddy
Other Possibilities: Anoop Desai or Ann Marie - although neither are worthy based on last night's performances.

Side notes:
- Tatiana Del Toro is a TOTAL whack-job!
- Paula has already started with the medication
- Casey Carlson's performance of Everything Little Thing [He] Does....made me want to literally vomit because I was so uncomfortable

Brent Keith, Stevie Wright, and Stephen Fowler....what were you thinking??

Results tonight!

Commercials Everywhere

Confession - I am a DVR TV watcher. I cannot remember the last time I watched "live TV." I despise commercials (except during the Super Bowl). It's not so much that they are repetitive (even though they are), or asinine (which many are), or irrelevant (K-Mart...in DFW? I think not). What really gets me about commercials is that I feel I must get up and do something productive while they are on (wash dishes, do a load of laundry, etc). They are guilt inducing, so I choose to record the shows I want to watch, so that I can sit down and enjoy them from beginning to end without interruption.

The same theory applies when I sit down to read a book or an article. I want to read what I have chosen to read, without a commercial popping up on the page. Well, that is exactly what happened to me this morning while reading an article on Yahoo! Finance. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/15-Companies-That-Might-Not-usnews-14279875.html

There are 4 completely irrelevant commercials shoved in throughout this article. Given - they are about financial/business -esq things. But seriously! Is there so much information floating around in the world and in cyberspace that we must be constantly inundated with link after link after link, creating a cycle of clicks that leads us from 2009 Bankruptcy forecasts to reducing cellulite?

Be glad that you were able to read this blog post without a commercial interruption...it may not always be that way! :)

How many were there?

There seems to be some disagreement over how many people actually showed up in Washington DC on the National Mall for this historic inauguration. Was it hundreds of thousands, one million, 1.2 million, 1.8 million, 2 million? I have watched the coverage and seen the pictures, and one thing is clear. The entire nation seemed to be involved in this moment in history. I couldn't even watch it live online because every major news station was overrun with viewers. I was told on CNN's website that I would be placed in line to wait for space to open up.



Crazy!

But, at the same time, exciting. Exciting that so many Americans would be involved in the political process; that so many people would be clinging on every word looking for hope, looking for commitment, looking toward the future.

May God's blessings be upon our Nation, and may we never lose sight that we are His and He is ours. Amen and Hallelujah!

Riley's Birthday

So, my stepson Riley turned three years old on Dec. 29th. We had a great time celebrating this past weekend at Jump Extreme, the ultimate bounce house. Usually I am anti-bounce house. It's always very hot and sweaty, and there's lots of yelling. You know how much I enjoy my peace and quiet. :) However, I must say that NiNi (that's what Riley calls me), had a great time! This place was incredible. There were like 8 different jumping things, all spread out in these huge arenas (which cuts down the noise considerably). There were bouncers for toddlers all the way to grown ups. Here are some pics:


The Spiderman Cupcake Extravaganza




Daddy getting stuck down the slide



Hannah taking a break from jumping to pose for a photo op



Devyn flinging himself down the slide



Riley and cousin Callie taking their turn



DO I have to take a break already?



Our guests



More guests



We ALL got stuck in this spot. But I'll not show any of the really incriminating photos!