Saturday, July 25, 2009

Here's a Cutie......

We had Jordan this past weekend. And what a busy one it was! Friday nite, we stayed at home and he played with toys. He loves his Handy Manny that he got from Aunt Darlene for his birthday! After playing with his train and fixing things with Manny, it was bathtime. We made it a bubble bath! What fun!

Saturday morning we got dressed and went to breakfast. Then after a few errands, it was time to head to Zach's graduation party in Carnegie Park! He had a big time there! Playing with big kids and little kids! He got everyone's attention. He played on the swings, the merry go round and the slides. He sure got tuckered out! He even took a nap in the park on the sleeping bag!
Then we went to the races that nite. They had fireworks after the Late Model Feature, but he was scared of them. Maybe that'll be different next year. Then, home and to bed!

Sunday we took him to Chuck E Cheese! He was thrilled! He road rides and climbed in the tubes and down the slide! He played games and got his picture "drawn" by Chuck E. Nani was in the drawing too! Then he drove the car with Chuck E. in it, and they took his picture. I figured, what the heck, I'll take one too. Mine is much better, tho. But it was fun for him, so why not? So, here's the slideshow of the weekend. Enjoy!

Another Icon Passes.......

Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in America dies. So, who do we trust now? He came into our living rooms every evening on CBS and reported the news. On many occasions, he reported world events. NASA Space Missions, the 1st landing on the moon, JFK's death and funeral. The Beatles' first trip to America! The things this man not only reported on, but had seen in his lifetime! Amazing!

I remember when he retired from the news anchor desk. The news was never the same after that. Now he's gone and nothing will ever be the same. "And that's they way it is......."








Walter Cronkite
as he appeared in 2004








There seems to have been so many celebrity deaths lately. Is it just that time in our lives when these people have reached their ends all at one time? Coincidence? More than likely. But it makes me wonder about when your number is up. I don't know. No one knows. It just makes me want to "Live Like I was Dyin'" Thanks, Tim McGraw.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Man in the Mirror............

"If You want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change"..............


Michael Jackson







1958-2009













I am a fan of the man and his music. I do not have all of his albums. I never had pictures all over my room. No memorabilia. I must say, Like I am a fan of Elvis, I am a fan of Michael.
I liked the older Elvis. The '68 Comeback Special and Jumpsuit Elvis. The older Elvis. I have to say the same is true of Michael. I like the older Michael. The Michael that was the solo artist. yes, I thought he was adorable when I was a preteen. But, so was Donny Osmond. Both only 2 years older than I, it made sense. I got into Elvis cause my dad liked Elvis. With Michael, I was just wowed by his talent.

Was it Human Nature that people are so easy to believe that this great legend was a child molester or was this man really a Smooth Criminal that was Dangerous to children? I think that that was gold diggers looking for money. Yes there was a $20 million settlement. But that doesn't mean he did anything wrong. What it probably meant was that he couldn't prove nothing happened and the prosecution didn't have enough evidence to prove it did, so the attorneys decided 20 mil would make it go away.

His father, who none of the kids ever called dad, they called him Joseph, abused him as a child. He got severe whippings and was told he was ugly and had a big nose. There were even some that said Joseph molested the kids. I think that he didn't want to be like his father and be what his father said, so he was always changing his appearance. This picture, in my opinion, was the best he ever looked.....
STRAPPED IN  photo | Michael Jackson

Whether he was Black or White at any interval of his career, he was a fantastic, talented entertainer. He was a Thriller on stage and in his videos. A Bad - ass Dancing Machine that told us We Are the World, You Are Not Alone!

Throughout History, people have idolized this one or that one. None, except maybe Elvis, were as big as MJ. Elvis is bigger posthumously than he was during his life. It will be the same senario for Jacko. They are already reporting that his record sales are through the roof in the last 12 days.

He taught us our ABC's. He loved a rat named Ben. He told us to look over our shoulders, I'll Be There. But now he's gone. Maybe I speak for most of the world when I say I Want You Back because the world was a better place with your music and charity in it.

If Billie Jean wasn't his lover, maybe Debbie Rowe and the other woman that gave him such beautiful children were. Neither of which were Dirty Diana, or were they? Did he bring on the ridicule himself, or was the media looking at him through a microscope to the point that he said just Leave Me Alone and Beat It?

I, for one, appreciated Michael's talents. Singer, songwriter, producer. Wow. Mega hits and a career the spanned decades. I remember seeing J5 on Ed Sullivan. I was 7. I thought that kid was so cool. Energetic. But not till Off The Wall was awe not even close to a word to describe The Way You Make Me Feel. I watched the J5 cartoon every Saturday morning. Along with the Osmonds cartoon. Did I just admit that? Man! I can remember Grandpap Rush being at my parents' house one day, and Nick had on his little red leather (vinyl) zippered MJ Bad jacket. Grandpap wanted to know why he would dress like that blankety blank n-word. He was an old school racist he was. We were watching something about Michael on TV. I told grandpap I'd marry Michael if I got the chance. He wanted to know what for? I said, he's gentle, kind, very talented, rich and famous. What more do you want?! That shut him up and he never used the N word in front of me again!

They say that if you ask anyone who was old enough to remember, that they can tell you exactly where they were when they heard the news that John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I was too young for JFK (not quite 3) but I do remember watching the funeral on TV. Elvis' and Princess Diana's too. I even remember where I was and what I was doing when the news came that they had died. Like my brother in law. I'll never forget being at the diner, just finishing breakfast when I got that dreaded phone call. We had Jordan with us. Michael Jackson's death and funeral will be the same way. Not just for me, but for billions of fans. I watch anything and everything on TV about Elvis and Princess Diana. Now it will be Michael too. Is it weird? I don't know, but if it helps the fans to grieve, then I say Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. I guess the need to be watching over and over, I really Never Can Say Goodbye.
_______________________________________________
Others we have recently had to say goodbye to are:
Ed McMahon. Johny Carson's longtime sidekick on the Tonight Show. Bloopers with Dick Clark. Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.
http://whybenormal.today.com/2009/06/26/ed-mcmahon-farrah-fawcett-and-michael-jackson-a-week-of-loss-in-hollywood/

Farrah Fawcett. The blond Charlie's Angel. The girl in the red swimsuit on the poster. The Burning Bed. Married a 6 million dollar man, but spent the happiest time of her life with Ryan O'Neal.
http://www.pbpulse.com/tv/2009/06/25/remembering-farrah-fawcett/

Billy Mays. The most famous pitchman in the ad business. From Mckees Rocks, PA, just outside of Pittsburgh!
http://hollywoodcrap.com/2009/06/28/infomercial-superstar-billy-mays-dies-at-50/

Gale Storm. She was a 50's TV star on the show My Little Margie. I remember my dad talking about her.
http://www.realjock.com/gayforums/571452/

Steve McNair. Quarterback of the Tennessee Titans. Superbowl Champ.

http://passtheword.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/steve-mcnair-one-stinkin-yard-away/

They say deaths come in three's. We've had 2 batches of 3's. Within days. No more for a while, okay?

Monday, July 6, 2009

Patriotic Baby!



I just had to show you how cute Alea was on the 4th of July! We had a great weekend with her over the holiday weekend. I got her outfit at Gymboree. Isn't it darling?

Sunday, July 5, 2009

As Promised........

I had trouble getting Slide.com to work, but finally here are the pics of the kids. The captions tell the story, so 'nuff said!