[talk: Famous Acquaintances]

So after watching yet another show with a person I've known on it, I thought it would be fun to maybe see who we all "know" that has made it "BIG". Or so to speak. Perhaps they were never an actual friend, but maybe you knew them in high school, or talked to them at the Starbucks counter on a weekly basis. Or maybe you were just saw them walking down the street downtown ...

Fame has always intrigued me. If you know me, I get "star struck" pretty easy - and I'm not sure why. The glitz and glam is all good, but it's being great at something and being KNOWN for it that intrigues me. Celebrities who do nothing, do nothing for me ... but intelligent activists, fantastic musicians, brilliant actors, hard-working athletes - these people inspire me. Not to have the camera flash blazing in my eyes, but to be passionate about something and give it my all. Going after a dream a living it.

Ok. Here's my list:

1. Jessica Lowndes. Her name is first because I watched her on 90210 last night *blush*. If you saw it, she was the "druggie/thief". *smile*. We know her family very well, and my mom taught her piano for many years. We graduated from the same high school - just a lifetime apart *grin*.

2. Evangline Lilly (Nicole). Ok - even just typing her name gives me the stomach knots. But she's the girl who's famous for being "Kate" on the hit show "Lost". I've only watched the very first episode - and once I realized who the lead female role was, I simply couldn't watch it anymore. You'd think I'd get over it, since it was 12 years ago, but we worked at a summer camp together for 2 years in a row. And she was all over my boyfriend - or rather, tried to be. So childish of me, considering I never married the guy - but still. She irks me. I'm just jealous of her beauty, I guess *evil laugh*.

3. Chris Crippin. Have you heard of the band, "Hedley"? Well - although it's famous for it's lead singer, I went to Jr. High with the drummer. Chris was ALWAYS the class clown, and was still a tiny-little-guy in grade 9 - he loved the motherly-attention he got from all the older girls.

4. Jacob Hoggard. So it's a double whammy for me with the "Hedley" band. I was a camp counselor at the summer camp Jacob went to ... but I know his parents a lot better than I know him.

5. Jed Rees. Now - this guy I've known forever ... and his name may not be familiar to most, but he was on the Chris Isaak show and on that space movie with Tim Allen. Jed is a life-long friend of my brother, was even in his wedding party. The jewelry box he gave me for a wedding gift sits beside my bed.

6. Leon Leontaridis. Ok. Don't laugh, A. *she's his wife and a blog stalker *grin**. But Leon is with Destino, an up-and-coming popera band. He is my husband's lifelong friend, and actually introduced us (good hook up, I reckon). Whenever he and his wife & daughter are in town, I bug him and say "Hey - aren't you LEON???". It's a little laugh we like to have. He would laugh if he knew that I put him up here *grin*.

7. Jesse Dryfout & Nathan Wylie. Both of these characters are/were in "Stabilo". I worked at summer camp with Jesse (along with Ms. Nicole Lilly), and Nathan is my ex-boyfriend's cousin. Nate was actually in the Christian worship band "Standfirm" we put together for a couple of years ... wicked drummer and super guy.

I also know a few people making their mark in the ever-impossible-to-break-into music industry and these friends/acquaintances have been/are diligent in "making it". The guys from "Doubting Paris", "Au4", "Dakona" and Ryan is doing a new venture called "Cowboys & Indians". And there's "Greg Neufeld" - the Canadian Idol contestant. Our good friend is his bass player - LOVE his music. Seriously ... it's Brian Adams meets John Mayer. And at my friend K's bday party a few weeks ago, I looked over and there Greg was ... it was a tad strange, considering the only reason I watched Canadian Idol was b/c I thought he was so great.

In the Christian music world, good ol' Ben Cantelon is a rising leader in the UK now. We've known Ben since he was a kid at and he and my hubby grew to be close friends. It was sad for us when Benny made the trip "over the pond", but he's doing so well - it's all good *grin*. And then, one of our friends married Ben Fielding of Hillsong United - most known for his song "Mighty to Save" ... that was a TRIP for me when we attended their wedding and saw people whom I've musically admired for so long ... I almost passed out when I ventured over to say hello to Reuben Morgan - his worship music is really brilliant. I'm such a geek. *grin*. And trust me, my husband mocks me for it OFTEN. I really am the biggest geek.

I've "seen" my fair share of famous people too. Tori Spelling bought shoes in the downtown Aldo store. Matthew Perry was shooting a "running" scene outside of a local coffee shop - my friends laughed at me as they watched my face when I realized it was "Chandler Bing". SO FUNNY.

I had my picture taken with Mario "Slater" Lopez and Dustin "Screech" Diamond when I was in Hawaii for my grad vacation. I've seen JT, Celene Dion, U2, Michael Buble ... and a ton more in concert. Does that count? Oh, and then there are the hockey games, basketball games and golf tournaments that I've seen ... but I'm thinking that Vijay Singh isn't one of my blog-reader's top interests.

Phwef.

Ok - I'm sure I've missed someone ... but if you care to, leave a comment on who YOU know and let's all have a good chuckle together *grin* ... AND, I thought this would be fun too, if YOU could be someone for a day - who would it be? Would you want to be known for intelligence, beauty or talent (athletic, musical, theatrical)?

For me? I've said it before: I'd be Carrie Underwood ... she's lovely and talented and seems like a nice person to be.

Ok ... your turn (if you'd like!!) and have a great one!

[talk: I Was Away - Were You?]

I came home, beyond excited to read all of the "BIG GIVE" tales - to find that only one had left a comment. I spent the night wondering why no one wanted to be a part of it - and to be honest, I felt a little silly *blush*. I mean, was I on my own on this one? Was I foolish to think that maybe a blog could be inspirational *laughing*?? Well - maybe people DID care, and DID do things but just didn't let me know ... or maybe it was bad timing with the long weekend and all. I hope so. But whatever the case, your stories were missed *smile*.

Our little family joined my husband's immediate & extended family on a weekend away to a nearby town-on-the-lake. It took us almost 5 hours to get there - and it should've only taken just over an hour. The highway was a parking lot because a portion of it was closed due to flooding. It was a good thing we didn't wait to eat at our destination - but it was tricky keeping the boys entertained for that long while crawling along.

The boys both killed themselves laughing at the "rhyming game" we played.

Siah SCREAMED until we let him out after 4hrs - and let him drive. Shhhh ... don't tell *grin*.

We stayed at a motel and the boys were so excited to be only a block from the beach. The weather was ok - not great, but not as bad as it could've been. And the most important thing for us - they SLEPT WELL *grin*. Isn't that what makes or breaks a vacation??

So - my husband's folks were there, his Zios & Zias (uncles and aunts) and cousins ... and their kids too. At times it was difficult to figure out where people were as we didn't all stay at the same place. But the town was small enough and we did try and have our dinners together.

We kinda overtook the balcony of the motel - but we put it to good use. Lots of food, laughter and just plain ol' noise *grin*!

So our days were spent at the beach - playing catch or building sand castles. I took my camera, of course, and tried to capture the essence of the holiday with my Nikon. It never does the experience justice, or maybe I'm just not that good at it yet, but here are a few shots of the hundreds I took.

But before I put those up, I just wanted to mention that it was my parent's 40th Anniversary this past weekend and how proud I am that their commitment to each other will be such a wonderful legacy for our family. Obviously, broken marriages have their stories and validations, but in the same way we support them, I think it is only fitting to celebrate those who's marriages have stood the test of time. We love you Mom & Dad. Congratulations.

OH. And my brother ... it was his bday as well and he's out of the hospital - all is well after his surgery - and he ate his piece of DQ Ice Cream Cake just nicely at his family celebration last night. *grin*. Happy bday, big brother.

Ok ... the rest of the pics. I'm off to make blueberry-lemonade popsicles for the boys with my Vitamix. Have a great one!!

the boys after a good night's sleep.

Tias sawing logs.

Siah notices the dirt on his hands. But not on his pants.

Papa and Tias going to get ice cream ...

Play "catch" with the cousins. Siah wanted to join in ...

Making a sand castle.

Siah running as FAST as he can ...

Tias.

Having supper with the family ...

building a castle .... again.

making lines in the sand.

we think he's pretty cute.

Siah and his tracks. I mean, truck.

[talk: The Big Give: Ok - Let Us Know!!]

SOOOO???

Did you do something?? Wanna share?? We wanna know!! I'm hoping you didn't forget *wink* or are too shy to share *grin*. Come on ... let us in on it!

As for me - here are some of the things that I did, knowing that I'd be accountable. Gotta love positive peer pressure *grin*.

1. I donated to the Costco fund today - it went towards providing meals for a local inner city school who's students often come hungry to class. Here's a side-note, for those of you who know me and where I live: The cashier said our town is the LOWEST GIVING town in our province. She said it's embarrassing. I agree. They only asked for 2 dollars.

2. I watched a neighbour's child for them, and there's a story that goes along with this one - maybe I'll share it soon.

3. My husband and I felt led to give to an organization that is headed up by my aunt. Now - this isn't "doing something for someone you don't know" - but we still gave.

4. I paid for lunch while out with someone.

5. I sent a few encouraging emails to people for no real reason, other than to let them know they're loved.

6. I made an effort to talk with an elderly lady who was sharing a hospital room with my brother today. On a side note: He's doing well (appendix came out last night) - and will come home on Sunday, they think. And the lady? She was 90 years old and had an only daughter who was in a wheelchair with MS. Puts things into perspective, huh. Here I was trying to be a blessing to HER and she so encouraged ME.

SO - that was it. Not super impressive - but to those people, maybe it was. That's how I always think. The $2 to Costco may be a nuisance for us, but ask the child who receives breakfast how they feel about our gift. I bet you they'd be mighty happy someone showed they cared.

While I was preparing for this blog, I found this site: http://www.thebiggive.org.uk/ . Take a look - it's an informative site on charities and how to make YOUR hard earned money go the furthest it can. It's a UK site, but still - really informative.

Ok. So, I'm waiting ... a little scared no one will post and I'll be left on my own. So don't leave me hanging ... *grin*.

Your turn.

[talk: "Yuck" - and Big Give Reminder]

I debated whether I would blog today ... feeling so yuck. Not sick yuck, just sad, lonely, and all those other negative words that I hate to feel. I've had a short temper with my kids, which makes me feel even more horrible, my "to do" list isn't completed, I don't have much to show for my day ... basically all that I pride myself in making me "me" today, well - it just sucked.

Wah wah wah. I know ... such a change from the happy, motivating posts I try to place - such a pity party for myself. I'll snap out of it ... and then it got me to thinking. I wonder if it has anything to do with losing this last baby, and the due date being next week. Maybe. I've done due-dates before without babies coming, so I'm pretty sure I know what to expect. We'll see.

Anyway ... I DID do some nice things for others - and I hope that you did too, and hope you're able to come back and post them ... it just stunk that this gray cloud covered any joy of doing it for me today. But I guess that's the point. It's not for me, it's for them. *sigh*.

On another note - if you think of it, offer a little prayer up for my bro. He's going in for surgery tonight - appendix. And I've been mocking him the last 2 days, saying it's gas. Ok - so that's kinda mean, but now I'm eating crow because it's legit.

SO I'll be waiting to hear from my sis-in-law ... but while I wait, I'm going to be going out with some old Jr. High friends tonight ... and I plan on devouring yam fries and dessert. Today I don't care if the scale numbers go up. Thhhfffftt. That's right. I don't care.

**breaking a smile** Ok. That made me feel better.

[talk: The BIG GIVE - Challenge One]

I'm a part of a group called the "Happy Housewives 12". We're a group of 12 women who meet once a month, and for a cost of $20 per event there is an activity (essentially $10 per person) and a draw for $120 (12x the remaining $10) to one woman who must spend the cash on herself. The woman who's name is drawn, plans the next month's activity. We've done "the Amazing Race", bowling, a fashion show, flower arranging, card making, a self defense class, a fitness class and more. And last night it was K's turn.

We all met in a designated shopping mall parking lot and were split into 2 teams. Each team had a vehicle, a video camera and an envelope with $60.00. The instructions were simple: This was the BIGGEST GIVE and we had to give the $60 away. The team with the most creativity and best results would win. We had 1 hour to be back at K's house.

We were PUMPED!

Our team debated what would be the best thing to do. After a few ideas were mulled over, we decided to make our first stop "Ricky's Restaurant".

We knew that it had a Senior's menu, and maybe there was a couple that we could bless and pay for their meal. After staking out the restaurant and having the hostess and manager give us their opinions, we decided on the table of 4 seniors - one of which was disabled. I was nominated to give the money, so I went up to the table and explained who I was. I said I was with a group who was challenged to bless someone that evening, and that we had chosen them. The one elderly lady's eyes turned red with emotion and the one man said, "Well, God bless you too - but we are not in need. We think that maybe you should give it to the table over there." and he pointed to a table where an elderly, obese man sat with two tired looking teenagers.

I was touched that this first man though enough of what we were doing, to pass on the blessing - so, in essence, we had already touched 4 people (plus the 2 staff) and now we were going to bless 3 more people - and we hadn't even spent any money yet.

I walked over to this man, and his hands were covered in sores and his aging teeth were broken and yellow. Once again, I gave the little speech and he looked around and said, "What am I on??" to which I assured him there were no t.v. cameras anywhere *grin*. He began to cry and said he couldn't possibly take the money, so I asked if I could have a hug to which he agreed. I said, "If you give me a hug, I have to give you the money." and he smiled. I handed him $30 and he was just so overwhelmed and shaking his head in disbelief. THIRTY DOLLARS. Such a small gift for such a great feeling.

Our group went back to our vehicle and documented the story on the video camera and went to our next stop: Walmart. We decided to stalk the checkout counters and help out a couple of different people with $15. We chose a young couple with two small children and a bill of $75. Once again, we explained who we were and that we chose them to bless ... it was a small gift, but could we put it towards their bill. The girl looked at us and said, "Do I have to give you something?" How sad - that our society's first thought is that by us being generous, we want something from them. Now-a-days, no good deed isn't without some sort of underlining deal. We assured her it was a gift, and she gave us a heart felt, "Thank you!!".

The last family chosen was a woman with her two teenage children. She had tins and tins of canned food on the belt, and we thought that she could use some help. So, one of the girls on the team did the "speech" and blessed this women with our last $15. It was so lovely - and the lady asked for our team member's "card"!! SO FUNNY - to which our friend replied, "I don't have a card."

With our mission complete, we made our way back to K's house, met back with the other team, and shared our stories while the 2 judges decided who won. Well - we all did *grin*. And we pointed out that because of K's ideas we were able to touch almost 30 people's lives, including our own. And we were challenged at how easy it was to give - it didn't have to be big.

We've all done it, haven't we. Given a 2for1 coupon to the couple in the line who needs it, paid the last $2.50 in groceries when the elderly man was short on cash, given a larger tip to a waitress who was tired and spent.

My challenge to you is this: in the next 24 hours - do SOMETHING for someone that you don't know. Small or big - and then come back here and comment - let us know what YOU did for someone. Be creative or be logical. Maybe it's lending your cell phone to someone in the phone line at the mall, or donating a can of soup to the food bank ... or maybe giving a bouquet of flowers to the lady who lives across the street. Do something you wouldn't normally do.

I'm going to talk to my husband about having this a part of our monthly budget. Where every month, we will do something for someone just because it's the right thing to do - not because we get a tax break or something in return. And it's not just about the poor or the down-and-out. Everyone could use a blessing, so I challenge you to be creative in giving.

Put a link to this blog and have it as a challenge to as many who want to be involved! Let's do something GREAT!

Ok. GO!! And report back!!

Deadline is Friday at noon!