As many of you know who have been perusing this site for 3+ years, my nephew Devon lost a courageous battle with Leukemia on New Years Eve of last year. He fought like a warrior for almost as long as this blog has been around. He tried traditional chemotherapy, radiation, received a bone marrow transplant, and experimental treatments when there was no choice. But unfortunately we don’t know what God has in store for us, and he was called home.
Devon’s 12th birthday would have been September 26th, and we have decided to celebrate it in a big way. What we are doing is we are sponsoring another child with Leukemia that is either being treated at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for a wish. Devon was granted a wish of his own after he was first diagnosed with the disease, and we just know that he would be ecstatic to extend the same opportunity to another child faced with the same sets of procedures and treatments as he.
We are having a raffle here locally and selling raffle tickets and our local school is sponsoring a trike-a-thon for little kids to bike around our High School track, the trike-a-thon money is going exclusively to St. Jude’s Childrens Research Hospital, as is 10% of our raffle ticket sales. Since most of the prizes are either going to be too big to ship or local to our area, I am looking for people to donate money to purchase prizes for the raffle.
If you could find it in your heart to help Celebrate Devon with us by sponsoring a child’s wish we would be ever so grateful to you. If you can just donate $5 that would be awesome, and definitely help in our worthy goal of brightening up another child’s life with Leukemia. [There is a donate button to the right of this post]
Thanks,
Ann Marie
Links:
[Links About Devon’s Story]
[Friend for Life - A Story Of How Frostee Rucker of the Cincinnatti Bengals was touched by the life of Devon]
Savannah Sassafras
I haven’t mentioned this yet, because I haven’t made the time but it’s been put in my face again today via email so I am finally getting around to posting it. I’ve never liked this guy, but this is just disgusting. I’d love for everyone to boycott his show and never listen to this SOB again.
This news sadly comes only weeks after another prominent figure in American Politics Tim Russert died. 
A Tribute From Brit Hume
Statement by The President
WASHINGTON, Jul 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend, Tony Snow. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jill, and their children, Kendall, Robbie, and Kristi. The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character.
Tony was one of our Nation’s finest writers and commentators. He earned a loyal following with incisive radio and television broadcasts. He was a gifted speechwriter who served in my father’s Administration. And I was thrilled when he agreed to return to the White House to serve as my Press Secretary. It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day. He brought wit, grace, and a great love of country to his work. His colleagues will cherish memories of his energetic personality and relentless good humor.
All of us here at the White House will miss Tony, as will the millions of Americans he inspired with his brave struggle against cancer. One of the things that sustained Tony Snow was his faith - and Laura and I join people across our country in praying that this good man has now found comfort in the arms of his Creator.SOURCE: White House Press Office
In conjunction with this story from MSNBC.
This is definitely one of my passions, so I had to pass it on.
The other day I was listening to my local radio station Real Country WKDZ Radio, and they interviewed an Author named Anne Margaret Lewis, and discussed her brand new book called “‘Twas The Night Before Summer” about a girl who thinks she’s going to be bored all Summer. It’s an enchanting Children’s book that’s just adorable. Anyway, they mentioned the publisher of the book Mackinac Island Press, and that you could PREVIEW their books. Well, my can you. You can read the ENTIRE books at that link complete with full illustrations, etc. I was incredibly amazed and happy. I went through almost their entire selections today and tonight with my kids, and they were mighty pleased. Anyway, they are a Michigan based company and Anne Margaret Lewis lives in Northern Michigan herself. I have to plug that part of course, given my Michigander roots.
Anyway, check it out when you have the chance if you have children, or if you’d like to slip back to childhood for a few minutes yourself.
My friend Valerie so kindly tagged me with this meme thing. lol Not sure how it really works but I’m game.
1. What were you doing ten years ago?
I had an almost 3 yr old and an almost 2 yr old and was exhausted all the time (much like I am now).
2. 5 items on my to-do list
-Laundry
-Going to the Orthopedics office tomorrow to get Erin’s cast off.
-Going to the Pediatricians office tomorrow for Austin.
-Going to a water park and meeting up with one of Erin’s friends and her family that she met from camp a few weeks ago.
-Preparing for Erin’s birthday party on Saturday.
3. Snacks I enjoy
-fruit
-nuts
-chips
-salad
-veggies
4. Places I would live
Not really interested in living anywhere other than where I now live. Although, I could handle a vacation house in the mountains in Utah and Virginia, and another house on Key West in Florida.
5. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
-Give a big chunk to The Epilepsy Foundation, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Boomer Esiason Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis TN, The Camp for Courageous Kids (KY), Camp Boggy Creek (FL), The Make A Wish Foundation, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and The Humane Society.
-Build a mansion on my Dad’s farm property, create another house on the property for my parents, and another for my brother and his family.
-Donate money to save wild horses in America, and rescue some of them.
-Hire a photographer full time to take pictures of myself with my children and our family.
-Start a non-profit for families with special needs children to give them respite in times of stress.
6. Jobs I’ve had
-Babysitter
-Customer Service Rep
-Business Owner
-Full time mom
A Self Portrait From Erin Last Year Sometime
I just wanted to wish my 9yr old daughter Erin the Happiest of Birthdays Ever!
I just can not stop crying about this, being a politico it just hurts like hell. Here is all of the coverage of today from NBC News.
Maybe I’m just disagreeable, but I don’t see anything wrong with this story:
The annulment of a young Muslim couple’s marriage because the bride was not a virgin has caused anger in France, prompting President Sarkozy’s party to call for a change in the law.
The decision by a court in Lille was condemned by the government, media, feminists and civil rights organizations after it was reported in a legal journal on Thursday.
The case, which had previously gone unreported, involved an engineer in his 30s, named only as “Mr. X,” who married “Ms. Y,” a student nurse in her 20s, in 2006.
The wedding night party was still under way at the family’s home in Roubaix when the groom came down from the bedroom complaining that his bride was not a virgin. He could not display the blood-stained sheet that is traditionally exhibited as proof of the bride’s “purity.”
The husband went to court the following morning and was granted an annulment on the grounds that his bride had deceived him on “one of the essential elements” of the marriage. The woman then acknowledged that she had led her groom to believe that she was a virgin when she had already had sexual intercourse. She did not oppose the annulment.
Critics ran out of superlatives to condemn what they depicted as a dangerous aberration. Valérie Létard, Minister for Women’s Rights, said that she was “shocked to see that today in France the civil law can be used to diminish the status of women”.
Requests for annulments have risen sharply to nearly 2,000 a year in France, but experts could recall no case involving non-virginity.
The rub for me is emphasized above…Now, I wouldn’t want to be a Muslim, and I WAS a virgin when I married, but…who are people to complain? Is this affecting someone else’s life? Hell, considering what happens in Muslim countries in cases like this (not that I condone that at all) in terms of “honor” killings. I think an annulment of a marriage is pretty tame. What’s your thoughts?
From MyFoxNY.
Two computer thieves in New York were caught by the technology they had stolen when the computer owner logged in remotely and took their mugs. How much more hysterical can it get?
Here’s two photos of the thieves…
CNN apparently thinks that their headlines are good branding…
Since now you can get a T-shirt with any number of them.
Check out these three examples…