Laura and Jenna Bush in Kansas City!

First Lady Laura Bush and Jenna Bush came to Kansas City yesterday to promote their new book and I got to be there. They came to Unity Temple on the Plaza for a short presentation and then they autographed copies of their books. Rainy Day Books sold 1,000 tickets and books ahead of time. Several friends and I got to go and we met up with Heidi and her husband.

Thankfully, Heidi called and found out the doors opened even earlier than what they had previously said and she saved us seats. I was so bummed, because Rivka was supposed to go with us, but twisted her ankle the night before and wasn't able to come.

There were only 3 pathetic protesters and none of them assaulted us like has happened at previous events. Perhaps, if we had been able to rent Rivka a wheelchair and bring her with us they would've been braver. I wanted to say something to them but one of my friends urged me not to. Instead, I made eye contact with one of them and glared. I just find it absurd that they have nothing better to do with their lives than to protest at something that isn't even a political event.

Laura and Jenna Bush were both wonderful and gracious. Laura looks even prettier in person and so wonderful for her age. Jenna is very charming and articulate. It took hours to get through the line so we weren't supposed to say too much, but I did let them know it was an honor to meet them and that I home schooled my kids.

It was hard to get a decent picture and I don't have the best camera so I wasn't able to get a good picture of them. Instead, I did have someone take a picture of our group with us holding our books. The problem is, I left my camera in my friend's car. So as soon as I get it back I will add the picture to this post.

Fun Meme!

Patrick did this fun meme and even though he didn't tag anyone I'm one of those insane people who jumps on the bandwagon and does them anyway. I won't tag anyone either but feel free to join me in the insanity ;-)!!

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

I had 3 kids ages 3, 2 and 4 months. The youngest 2 were still in diapers and my husband was working 12 hour Midnight shifts at a Steel plant.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

1. Go to church
2. Prepare for my radio show tomorrow
3. Laundry
4. Take my kids to Choir
5. Work-out at the gym

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Candy bars, caramel apples, chips, ice cream...

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Get out of debt
2. Travel
3. Help put my kids through college
4. Buy a nice house
5. Get a maid & a cook
6. Give money and support ministries, missionaries and causes I believed in
7. Take my friends and I on a girls' trip to a spa on a tropical island
8. The list would be endless :-)))

5) Three of my bad habits:

1. Staying up too late at night.
2. Spending money I don't have.
3. Eating too much junk food.

6) 5 places I have lived:

1. Ohio
2. Michigan
3. West Virginia
4. Chicago, Illinois
5. Wisconsin

7) 5 Jobs I have had:

1. Drive-Thru at Burger King
2. Factory Worker
3. I worked at a Christian Radio Station
4. Receptionist
5. Nanny

80's Bunko Party!

I've mentioned before that I'm a part of a Bunko group. There are 12 women in the group and we meet at each other's houses once a month. Each woman gets to host it once a year and this month was my month.

I picked the 80's to be my theme and it was a lot of fun. I had Wings from Wingstop, Cheesecake, and lots of other goodies. We played Bunko and my prizes were fun Dvds, some from the 80's like Footloose, and then I had some Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner movies, etc...

Rivka is a part of the group and we usually get to talk a little about politics and she and I are both David Cook fans. This night, however, I did make the mistake of asking one of the other women who was subbing about her son being a liberal not realizing she was. She then proceeded she tell me she didn't like Bush and she was against the war. I was a little amazed and just kept quiet and tried to change the conversation. I so didn't mean to open that door. Wow!! Other than that, it was a great night!!

I'm still exhausted though from planning and hosting because I'm on a new medicine that has been kicking my butt. I finally got off of it because it was zapping me of all my energy and making my life miserable. I'll have to try something different. Today, I'm off to a field trip with my kids!!

Remember How Voters Wanted Change in 2006?

I posted this cartoon on the day of the elections in 2006 because everyone was talking about how "horrible" things were back then. Well, lets take a good look at how things were then with a Republican led Congress and how things are now with a Democrat led Congress. (I got this via an email. I don't have a source but I heard Rush read this on the air last week and all the figures look fairly accurate. I tried to find a source but wasn't able to find that it was accurate or false. So if anyone has any additional info let me know):

A little over one year ago:

1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;

2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;

3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%.


Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we have seen:

1) Consumer confidence plummet;

2) The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.50 a gallon;

3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);

4) American households have seen $2.3 trillion in equity value evaporate
(stock and mutual fund losses);

5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2 trillion dollars;

6) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.

America voted for change in 2006, and we got it!

The Jane Austen Book Club!

Bernadette: All Jane Austen, all the time. It's the perfect antidote.
Prudie Drummond: To what?
Bernadette: To life.

I loved this Movie!!!!! Patrick and I are HUGE Jane Austen fans so we often email about different Austen type movies and books. So after seeing this he emailed me and told me how good it was. I then bumped it up in my Netflix que. I figured it would be good but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I am planning on buying it in the near future.

Even if you don't know about Jane Austen, it is a great Chick Flick. If you do like and or love Jane Austen and you like contemporary movies you will adore this movie, it is a MUST SEE!! Two Thumbs up!!

How Would You Live Your Life?

Professor Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" reminds me of Tim McGraw's song, "Live Like You Were Dying".

What would you do? What would you say? How would you live your life if you knew you only had months to live?

Randy Pausch found out he had pancreatic cancer and thought he only had months to live when he gave his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. He wanted to leave some lessons behind for his 3 young children. Here are the lessons:

--Always have fun (be a Tigger, not an Eeyore)
--Dream big
--Ask for what you want
--Dare to take a risk
--Look for the best in everybody
--Make time for what matters
--Let kids be themselves

Make sure to go and read the article in its entirety. He tells some great stories. Also, watch the lecture itself which I have on the above video.

Pausch never expected his lecture to gain the attention that it has. Since giving it he has been able to fulfill some dreams and has been able to live longer and been able to spend more time with his kids than he thought he was going to be able too. I couldn't agree more with his lessons and I think they are worth embracing wholeheartedly!!

Laura and Jenna Bush Coming to KC!!

A group of friends and I are going to see Laura and Jenna Bush when they come to promote their children's book this month. Here are the details via Rainy Day Books:

Time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 7:00 p.m.
Location: Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary, 707 W 47th Street, Kansas City, MO 64112
Phone: 913-384-3126
Title of Event: Laura Bush and Jenna Bush for Read All About It!

Authors: The First Lady Laura Bush and The First Daughter Jenna Bush. Be one of the 1,000 lucky people to meet Laura and Jenna in person.

Title: Read All About It!, $17.99 Hardcover, ISBN 9780061560750, On Sale Date: April 22, 2008. Local Customers can Pick-Up their Tickets, Wristbands and Books at Our Bookstore, Tuesday, April 22 through Monday, April 28, 2008. Out-of-town Customers can Pick-Up their Tickets, Wristbands and Books at Our Author Event on Tuesday, April 29, 2008, beginning at 6:00 PM. You are advised to Pick-Up your Admission Packages of Tickets, Wristbands and Books either at Our Bookstore or at Our Author Event because the time is too short to Ship them.

What: The First Lady Laura Bush and The First Daughter Jenna Bush will give us a Multimedia PowerPoint Presentation about their new book, Read All About It! and the importance of reading for about 30 minutes and then they will autograph Single Copies of their new book, Read All About It!, purchased from Rainy Day Books, on our website and / or at Our Author Event, that are accompanied by a Stamped Sequentially Numbered Ticket and a Booksigning Line Wristband. Still Photos with cameras and cell phones will be allowed at a distance of individuals in the moving Booksigning Line. Posed Photos hold up the Booksigning Line and are Prohibited. Personal Video is Absolutely Prohibited.

When: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 7:00 PM

Where: A Rainy Day Books Author Event at Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary, 707 W 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64112

My Book List So Far...Part 3

I have been increasingly busy lately so I've listened to more books on CD but I did also get 2 other books read. Although, its funny that I now find Grafton almost boring compared to Stephanie Plum ;-). Right now I am reading an introductory book on World War I that is very comprehensive. I wanted a basic book so I could start at the beginning and really get a handle on what the war was all about after visiting the Museum. So far, it is very good.

Below, I have updated my list. The titles in blue are the ones that I've read since the last post.

Here are the books that I have read and/or listened to on Cd so far:

1) The Faith of the American Soldier--Stephen Mansfield
2) My Grandfather's Son--Clarence Thomas
3) A Patriot's Handbook (CD)--Caroline Kennedy
4) 1776 (CD)--David McCullough
5) One for the Money--Janet Evanovich
6) Two for the Dough--Janet Evanovich
7) Three to get Deadly--Janet Evanovich
8) Four to Score--Janet Evanovich
9) High Five--Janet Evanovich
10) Hot Six--Janet Evanovich
11) Seven Up--Janet Evanovich
12) Hard Eight--Janet Evanovich
13) To the Nines--Janet Evanovich
14) Ten Big Ones--Janet Evanovich
15) Eleven On Top--Janet Evanovich
16) Visions of Sugar Plums--Janet Evanovich
17) Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom (CD)
18) Twelve Sharp--Janet Evanovich
19) Lean Mean Thirteen--Janet Evanovich
20) Plum Lovin'--Janet Evanovich
21) Facing Terror--Carrie McDonnall (CD)
22) The Spiritual Heritage of the U.S. Capitol--David Barton (CD)
23) The Faith of George W. Bush--Stephen Mansfield (CD)
24) Danger in the Shadows--Dee Henderson (CD)
25) T is for Trespass--Sue Grafton
26) Plum Lucky--Janet Evanovich
27) Then Sings My Soul--Robert J. Morgan

Previously:
Book List 1
Book List 2

Links:
50 Book List

Yipee-kai-aye!

Okay, so I wanted to watch Bruce Willis's latest Die Hard movie, Live Free, Die Hard. That meant I had to go back and watch the 1st 3 because it had been so long. Do you realize that the first Die Hard movie came out in 1988? That was 20 years ago!! It seems like it was just yesterday. Not to date myself or anything but 1988 is the year I graduated from high school so that was a long time ago!!

I thoroughly enjoyed all 4 of the movies and wouldn't mind owning them. I adore Bruce Willis for so many reasons. For one, he just has this charisma about him that comes out in everything he does.


He also is a conservative on a lot of issues so that also scores a lot of points with me. I did a bunch of research on him about this for the radio show and talked about it at length the other week. My favorite article that I found on him was entitled, Why the Hollywood Left Hates Bruce Willis.

Now, onto what I specifically loved about the movies. I loved everything about how Willis dealt with the bad guys in the 1st one. I loved his wife going after the obnoxious reporter with a taser in Die Hard 2. In Die Hard: With a Vengeance I loved the interaction between Willis and Samuel Jackson. They made a great team. I also loved Willis trying to figure out who the 21st President was, Chester A. Arthur (by the way, my 8 yr. old knows that). The last one, I loved how they dealt with Willis's relationship with his daughter and his connection to the computer geek.

It is a great series, Bruce Willis rocks, and I am left saying, Yipee-kai-aye!!!

Just Say No to the Beijing Olympics!

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is the first world leader who has decided not to attend the Olympics in Beijing. She follows Poland's Prime Minister, Donald Tusk and President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic who were the first EU heads of government to announce a boycott. Tusk had this to say:

"The presence of politicians at the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate," Tusk said. "I do not intend to take part."

An article in The Guardian on Saturday had this to say:

"China had hoped to use the games to highlight its economic development and growing openness. But it is increasingly proving an opportunity for critics to bash China's one-party political system, human rights abuses, treatment of minorities and tightly controlled media.

The Tibet crisis has been pushed on to the agenda of a meeting of European foreign ministers in Slovenia, with the French, who will be presiding over the EU during the Olympics, calling for a team of European officials to be dispatched to China on a fact-finding mission.

British and US diplomats were among a group of outside officials allowed to travel yesterday to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, for the first time since the crisis erupted a fortnight ago.

The EU foreign ministers are to discuss the China quandary at lunch in Slovenia today, with calls being made for a common European position."