Spiderman to the rescue

I love a great story! This one falls into that category! Go Spidey!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090324/od_afp/thailandchildrenoffbeat

Chimp Gone WIld

In case you haven't seen the story about the attack chimp....it's shocking, disturbing, tragic and very sad. A 70-year old woman in Stamford, Ct had raised 15-year old Travis since he was just a baby. He ate at the table, drank wine out of stemmed glasses, brushed his owners hair and slept with her every night. A special relationship between a widow, Sandra Herold and a wild animal, her pet. Then something went terribly wrong. Here's the story:

http://http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,495326,00.htmlterribly .

The question now, will Herold face criminal or civil charges? The woman who was attacked, 55-year old Charla Nash has worked for Herold for many years...they were best friends and Nash has known Travis for most of his life... Herold says she's devastated and that she has nothing left. Her pet, who was more like a family member, is gone and her friend scarred for life. Nash will face years of surgeries to correct the damage to her face and body. Will she ever be the same? Inevitably, Herold will pay for the attack...both emotionally and financially. But more importantly, the story brings to light that a wild animal, regardless of how cute and cuddly he is, should never be made a pet. These animals cannot be domesticated, no matter how hard someone tries... Wild animals may be submissive for a while, adjusting to the human world, but eventually their instinctive behavior will take over and their natural wild behavior will come to the forefront. I love all animals, but these exotic animals need to remain in the wild or behind a very large wall or fence at the zoo.

25 Random Things

Facebook strikes once again! I was sent this challenge from one of my friends (it seems to be the latest thing to do on Facebook) List 25-random things about yourself. So, here's my list:

1. I love to clean.
2. Although I'm afraid of heights, I have gone to
the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire
State Building and the Stratosphere in Vegas.
3. I would love to live in Southern Italy, part-time.
4. I love to garden
5. I dislike scary movies and gory movies.
6. I could eat chocolate-chocolate chip Hagen

Daas every day!
7. My children surprise me every day
8. I would love to be a professional equestrian
9 I wish I could play the piano
10. I want to drive a Ferrari down the Amalfi Coast
11. I wish I could spend more time with my parents
and brothers
12. I have always wanted to start a wild and exotic
animal refuge.
13. I wish I had perfect vision
14. The best things in life are free....especially being
loved
15. My children make me laugh everyday
16. I hate frivolous lawsuits
17. I love Bones, Saving Grace, The Closer, CSI and
Leverage
18. I will always stop to watch The Sound of Music
19. I have found, that as you get older, your close
friends become fewer
20. I have always wanted a pet cow
21 I need to be more organized
22. I would love to spend a day with George
Clooney!
23. I'm dreading the day my children leave home
24. I love to ride motorcycles
25. I always could use more sleep

Is There Rehab for Facebook?

Never let it be said that I'm the first to jump on the latest in technology. It took me 5-years to get a cell phone with a keypad and internet capabilities! Like I said, I'm slow. So recently, I decided to delve into the world of Facebook....a world I love and despise. I love it because I've been able to reconnect with friends from my childhood, high school and college. I've chatted with people who have moved to different parts of the world and across the country. I've found old friends whom I've lost touch with and I can talk about work and share ideas with friends in the radio business...It really is a fabulous tool for networking. BUT, I despise it because I'm addicted! I find myself spending every free moment on my Facebook page...adding comments, pictures and video links. I'm always looking for new applications so I can poke a friend, send them on safari, have a squirt gun fight or throw a snowball...It's taking over my life. I find myself staring blurry eyed at my page until all hours of the day, (it doesn't help when you already function on 4-5 hours of sleep!) I put off doing important things like laundry and dinner so I can spend more time chatting with an old college friend....It's my new obsession......And now the radio station has its own page, so I'm constantly checking that site to see who's new on the list...Like I said, I'm obsessed ....if you'd like to join the WRMF page, simply go to search friends and type in WRMF...you should find us without a problem ....and don't worry I'll be there watching and waiting for you to become our friend....so hurry up and get on it...join now......Have I mentioned that I need REHAB for Facebook!

Hope and Promise

History in the making...millions of us watched today as President-Elect Barrack Obama became our 44th president...a day seeped in history...Our first African-American president has inspired our nation like few before him. He has instilled hope and promise in all of us. He's urging all of us to stand up, take action and accountability and rise from the ashes...to save our great nation. A nation now enveloped in an economic crisis, unemployment and war. But a nation that President Obama has vowed to save....with our help.... "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.....Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met." I, as I'm sure many of you agree, hope that President's Obama's promises for change become a reality. It's a new beginning, a day for all of us to say, "I'm an American and I'm proud." Let's pray the future holds promise for all......

Life's Little Rewards

Okay, you can all give me grief for not being more current with my blog....As I like to say when things slip by the wayside... "Life gets in the way!" The holidays were awesome..my family came to South Florida to celebrate and they all stayed at my house! I felt like Cinderella! For 8-days all I did was clean, cook, wash clothes and entertain.... but it was well worth it.... Now onto more current events...Nothing makes a woman prouder than the success of her children. For some that may mean a child gets a "B" on a test a school, he learns to ride his bike, or maybe she gets accepted into med school.....For me, both my children have always made me proud..my oldest, Samantha, is about to graduate high school and enter the collegiate world..quite exciting, yet very scary! (more on that at a later date!) But just the other night, my youngest, Caroline, finally got to see the rewards for her years of horseback riding. We attended the Palm Beach County Horseman's Association Awards banquet at Broken Sound Country Club in Boca.(nice joint!) I knew she would receive an award because she had finished with the most points in her division (Pony Jumpers)......but I never expected the size of that reward! As you can see from the picture, the trophy was almost as tall as Caroline! (she's 4-feet, 8-inches) She was delighted and smiled from ear to ear. But she wasn't the only one smiling. I was as proud as a mother could be. My little girl, after years of lessons, had finally taken home the trophy she had always dreamed of: Champion!! The smile on her face was priceless and one that will remain in the recesses of my brain for an eternity. Her trainer, TJ, has taken my little girl from a novice to a superb equestrian, and for that, I will always be grateful! (see picture of Caroline with TJ..above, right) By the way, Caroline was so excited about the award, that she actually slept with it! Today, it sits on a special shelf in her bedroom! It's a great accessory and one that will always bring fond memories when I do my least favorite chore: dusting! Thank goodness for the little rewards that life has to offer.

THE BIG 18TH!!

It's hard to believe that my oldest is 18! As everyone says, "where did the time go?" It's scary to realize that she's now an adult...legal in almost every aspect of the word! And as a parent, I hope that the morals and ethics my husband and I have tried so diligently to instill in our children, will actually take hold. These are virtues that only time will reveal........On to the subject at hand...On Samantha's 18th birthday we enjoyed a quiet dinner with the family and a few friends. She wanted it to be a laid back affair...me, I wanted a party! (maybe for her high school graduation!) But I had anticipated this day for many years because I had a special surprise for her. When Sam was a little girl, her father and I divorced. Instead of completely trashing (or selling) my wedding ring, my dear friend Gail suggested that I remove the main diamond and replace it with Sam's birthstone (mind you, Sam was only a toddler at the time!) As a matter of fact, Gail (Sam's Godmother) bought the single diamond from me (I was desperate for money at the time!) and as a gift to me had the setting refitted with a yellow topaz! (the birthstone for November). The ring was beautiful! I decided at that moment to give it to Samantha when she turned 18...hence my anticipation for her birthday. Since the day it was set, the ring has sat in my jewelry box waiting for Samantha to become an adult. We were all gathered around the kitchen table as Sam opened her presents....a digital camera, a new shirt, a couple of pairs of jeans... She was delighted. As everyone started to leave the table, I asked them all to please wait because I had a special gift for Samantha....everyone sat back down and looked puzzled...what could this gift be? As I turned to Sam to present her with the small package, I started to cry....I couldn't even get the words out to explain the history of the gift....she grabbed the box with trembling hands and opened it ever so slowly. When she saw the ring, she too started to cry..(As a matter of fact, everyone had a tear in his eye) ....it truly was a unique mother-daughter moment..and one I will never forget... I guess I did good......I only wish I could say that about all my parenting skills......