TGIF

TGIF EVERYONE!!

Nautica NYC Triathlon

This past Sunday my daughter Regina was in the New York City Nautica Triathlon. She has been training so hard for the past five months for her first Tri. Working with “team in training” she has spent many hours, swimming, running and biking in preparation for the big race!! Sadly on Saturday she threw out her back doing of all things, unloading the dishwasher!!
Sunday morning came and she persevered and decided she was going to give a go, bad back or not, she had worked so long and hard for this race! Personally I am super impressed with her performance but, she knowing her pace while in training, was disappointed. May I also mention that she raised $4,410 for the e Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!! GO REGINA!!
So back to race day morning, she left her home at 4:45 AM, and walked a mile to the first part of the race. It was a mile swim in the Hudson River!! YES, you heard me correctly the HUDSON River!! Who in their right mind would swim in that river, yuck, not to mention what you may run into, like planes, dead mob bosses, and who knows what else!! Into the river she went at 6:30 for her one mike swim, it took her 26:09 minutes (I’m impressed!)
Ready to go!!!

Divers enter the Hudson

… Coming out of the river she did not look so charming … see the picture below … yes … algae all over … did I say YUCK!!

ICK! Running to next transition area ... in bare feet


Next she needed to run in her bare feet and wetsuit to the next transition area which was ¼ mile away, stripping off her wet suit as she ran! She quickly threw on her bike gear and headed out … for 26 mile bike ride, which she did it in 1:33, one hour and thirty three minutes (OK I am impressed again!!)


Looking like a pro!


She was not looking forward to end and how her back would feel once she had to stand again. Onto the Part Three, take off the bike gear, put on the running gear! The run was 6.2 miles up and down the hilly paths of Central Park. AND they are hilly!!! Her run was much slower then while she trained, but her back was killing her, she was in so much pain. She made the 6.2 miles in 1:07 time (I am still impressed, they would just be pulling me out of the river by now!!)
the lonely run ...


pain ...


Her full race was 3:17 … three hours and seventeen minutes!!! REGINA YOU ROCK!!!!! She did manage a big smile as she past the final banner!!


The medal!




Many of her friends and family were there to cheer her on! She also ran to honor a good friend of hers who has fought through two bouts of Hodgkin’s. Yea Rosa!!

Regina's biggest fan ... her son Rhys!!


Love the shirt!

I couldn’t be more proud of you Regina!!! So glad we were able to share in the day!! If you would like to read her blog about the race you can get there via this link …. Believe me it is an interesting site!! http://chiu-on-this.blogspot.com/

FACE BOOK!

OK OK OK .... I have to admit it .... I was bitten by the FACE BOOK BUG!!! ADDICTION PLUS ... it started out easy ... just a post ... then I found high school girlfriends .... hehehehe as you can imagine there was a lot of catch up time!! Then I thought OK one little game ... SCRAMBLE ... then WORDTWIST ... then WORD DROP... then BEJEWLED BLITZ!!!!!!!!!!! and so on and so on and so on and so on!!! Lots of bookmarks as FAVS ... YIKES!!! Then I found YOVILLE, Then FARMVILLE .... geeze will it end soon .... I am not a game junkie am I???? Then the downfall came... it was FARMTOWN!!! I get up at 6AM, I can not leave for certin time of the day because my farm harvest is due in ... I need to harvest and plow ... I need a house, a barn, more fields, more trees, water the flowers ... soooooooo, that is why my BLOG world has been so deserted!!! I am trying to join FARMTOWN anonymous, seems I cannot find a local chapter ... sorry more tomorrow I need to go harvest my pumpkins fields ............

JK Wedding Entrance Dance

This is very funny!!
JK Wedding Entrance Dance

In Loving Memory

Today I honor my daughter Jodi.

In Loving Memory of

Jodi Ann Nejman

Your presence

was a
light and joy
We never realized

would someday end
Just like the brilliant
falling star
The curved 'round
heavens bend....

love, mom xoxoxo

Toon!

I saw this little cartoon and thought it was funny ...

The Charlie Schulz Philosophy

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.


You don't have to actually answer the questions.

Just read straight through and you'll get the point.


1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.


How did you do ?????????


The point is none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies...

Awards tarnish.

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:


1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special !!

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.


Easier???


The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials. .The most money...or the most awards.


They simply are the ones who care the most.



HAVE A NICE DAY

Roller Babies

This is very, very funny!

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Penguins

I was go enthralled over this penguin story that the end really caught me off guard ... sorry I had to post it!!!

Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica - where do they go?

WONDER NO MORE!!

IT IS A KNOWN FACT THAT THE PENGUIN IS A VERY RITUALISTIC BIRD WHICH LIVES AN EXTREMELY ORDERED AND COMPLEX LIFE.

THE PENGUIN IS VERY COMMITTED TO ITS FAMILY AND WILL MATE FOR LIFE, AS WELL AS MAINTAINING A FORM OF COMPASSIONATE CONTACT WITH ITS OFFSPRING THROUGHOUT ITS LIFE.

IF A PENGUIN IS FOUND DEAD ON THE ICE SURFACE, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY AND SOCIAL CIRCLE HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO DIG HOLES IN THE ICE, USING THEIR VESTIGIAL WINGS AND BEAKS, UNTIL THE HOLE IS DEEP ENOUGH FOR THE DEAD BIRD TO BE ROLLED INTO AND BURIED.

THE MALE PENGUINS THEN GATHER IN A CIRCLE AROUND THE FRESH GRAVE AND SING:



"FREEZE A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW

Those Crazy Swedes!

From Sweden's Got Talent - four young men perform the traditional "Dance of the Crispbread" to ancient Swedish folk songs such as "What What In The Butt" and "Kung Fu Fighting." They use the bread to cover what we can only imagine are their already impressive manhoods.

"Heal The World"

When the all-star Michael Jackson memorial ceremony in Los Angeles came to an end today, millions of fans watching the event became curious about the woman who sang lead on Jackson’s “Heal the World.” The mystery singer was Judith Hill, a Pasadena, California-based vocalist who was recruited to be one of the backup singers for Jackson’s This Is It! concerts at London’s O2 Arena. Hill wowed the crowd and the millions watching around the world with her rendition of "Heal The World."

Michael Jackson - RIP

It was not spectacular, extravagant or bizarre. There were songs and tears but little dancing. Instead, Michael Jackson's memorial was a somber, spiritual ceremony that reached back for the essence of the man. He was memorialized as a Singer, dancer, superstar, humanitarian.

I too watched the memorial today for MJ and was very moved. Even though I was not a huge fan, but did love many of his videos and music. I have been truly stunned to see how moved so many people are around the world! I guess I must live in a closet!

Brooke Shields memories of Michael were very moving, and she was so heartbroken.

At the end tears ran down my face as I listened to Micheal's 11 year old daughter Paris-Michael say a few last words about her father. "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said, dissolving into tears and turning to lean on her aunt Janet. "And I just wanted to say I love him — so much."

I was very touched by the poem Maya Angelou wrote, it was read by Queen Latifah.


"We Had Him"
Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind.

Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon.

In the instant that Michael is gone, we know nothing. No clocks can tell time. No oceans can rush our tides with the abrupt absence of our treasure.

Though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone.

Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him.

He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance.

Despite the anguish, his life was sheathed in mother love, family love, and survived and did more than that.

He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him whether we know who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his.

We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes.

His hat, aslant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us.

And we laughed and stomped our feet for him.

We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. He gave us all he had been given.

Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square.

In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England

We are missing Michael.

But we do know we had him, and we are the world.

RIP MJ

Happy 4th - a little Trivia!!!

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;
another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.


They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants,
nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated,
but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward , Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember also the thousands who have died since then to keep our country free.

Remember: freedom is never free!

New Movie/Book

VV I know you will love this!!

Update On the Eagles

As I previously posted back on April 30th that I had been watching three baby eagles via an eagle CAM set up in a nest in Sydney, British Columbia. Three eggs are not normally hatched, nor do the eaglettes all live to maturity. There were times I had to turn the CAM off because I use to worry so much about Tiny, eaglette #3. They picked on him so badly, and would steal all the food. Poor Tiny would just hide in the corner of the nest. I thought, there is no way this poor thing would survive, but he/she did and is getting ready to Fledge (fly) … “guess-estimate” is July 9th, three months after Tiny was born.

They had a contest and named all three eaglettes … Breeze, who is already flying. The next is Hero…Hero is a bit of lazy eaglette and seems to like “nesting” more then flying. And then there is our favorite Tiny!! Who has become the “hellion” of the nest!

Here are the Three amigo's back in April

Here is a picture of the nest about 95 feet up

Here is a closer picture, with one of the eaglettes out on the branch and one of the parents in the nest

One of the parents bringing in lunch!

Here is the eaglette Breeze in one of his first flights...a shot of breeze flying high. If you click her larger, you will see that her wing feathers are of different lengths, thus still growing in. When they are younger in the nest, their feathers are full of blood, thus very heavy. This blood nourishes the growth of the feathers, which then become hollow and light in weight. It is then at this time, that they really start to flap. They have over 8,000 feathers, and they weigh more than their body weight. As the young birds take years to learn how to hunt, but rather scavenge for food, nature has made their wings larger than the parents. On a good day, with warm thermals, they can cover 100's of miles in a day.


And Ma and Pa hanging out catching some sunshine!

This is an amazing shot ...
PA FLYING WITH THE BIG GUYS the photographer was mortally afraid for pa, what a jet wash they put out, and the noise, unbelievable...but brave pa took them on and scared them away. Harry................CLICK PHOTO FOR LARGER


Here is a clip that is on You Tube ...

I am BACK!

Lots of changes in my life going on ... including my PC which is in the hospital ... I guess I am a desk top kinda girl ... laptop is just not working for me.

I saw this today and thought it was a hoot!

CHICAGO – Visitors to the Sears Tower's new glass balconies all seem to agree: The first step is the hardest.


The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck. Their transparent walls, floor and ceiling leave visitors with the impression they're floating over the city.

"It's like walking on ice," said Margaret Kemp, of Bishop, Calif., who said her heart was still pounding even after stepping away from the balcony. "That first step you take — 'am I going down?'"



Kemp was among the visitors who got a sneak preview of the balconies Wednesday. "The Ledge," as the balconies have been nicknamed, open to the public Thursday. Visitors are treated to unobstructed views of Chicago from the building's west side and a heart-stopping vista of the street and Chicago River below — for those brave enough to look straight down.

John Huston, one of the property owners of the Sears Tower, even admitted to getting "a little queasy" the first time he ventured out. But 30 or 40 trips later, he's got the hang of it.

"The Sears Tower has always been about superlatives — tallest, largest, most iconic," he said. "Today is also about superlatives. Today, we present you with 'the Ledge,' the world's most awesome view, the world's most precipitous view, the view with the most wow in the world."

The balconies can hold five tons, and the glass is an inch-and-a-half thick, officials said. Sears Tower officials have said the inspiration for the balconies came from the hundreds of forehead prints visitors left behind on Skydeck windows every week. Now, staff will have a new glass surface to clean: floors.

"It's very scary, but at the same time it's very cool," said Chanti Lawrence of Atlanta, adding that she's made her first step toward overcoming her fear of heights.

Adam Kane, 10, of Alton, Ill., rushed to the ledge with his friends and siblings, and they each eagerly pressed their faces to the glass bottom.

"Look at all those tiny things that are usually huge," Adam said.

The balconies are just one of the big changes coming to the Sears Tower. The building's name will change to Willis Tower later this summer. Last week, officials announced a 5-year, $350 million green renovation complete with wind turbines, roof gardens and solar panels.

With the ledge, visitors like Kemp said the nation's tallest building has succeeded in creating something they've never seen before.

"I had to live 70 years for a thrill like this," she said.


Hope you do not have acrophobia (fear of heights)!!!