Rock and Roll Saved My Soul

I apologize in advance for my atrocious, messy handwriting and if anything is misspelled 

The International Day of Friendship is an initiative that follows on the proposal made by UNESCO and taken up by the UN General Assembly in 1997 (A/RES/52/13), which defined the Culture of Peace as a set of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with a view to solving problems. In its resolution of 1998, proclaiming the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001–2010) (A/RES/53/25), the General Assembly recognized that enormous harm and suffering are caused to children through different forms of violence. It emphasized that the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence should be instilled in children through education. If children learn to live together in peace and harmony that will contribute to the strengthening of international peace and cooperation. The Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (A/RES/53/243) a...

“A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: ‘Puppies For Sale.’ Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner; ‘How much are you going to sell the puppies for?’ he asked. The store owner replied, ‘Anywhere from $30 to $50.’ The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. ‘I have $2.37,’ he said. ‘Can I please look at them?’ The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, ‘What’s wrong with that little dog?’ The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. ‘That is the puppy that I want to buy.’...

National Parents’ Day honors all parents on the fourth Sunday in July. No matter where our parents may be, this day serves to celebrate their important role in our lives.  In May we celebrated mothers, and in June we celebrated fathers.  It follows that in July we can bring all our parents together and show them some appreciation all at once.   Parents play a vital role in the lives of children. From our birth, parents protect, teach, provide and serve as role models. As part of a family, we look to them for guidance. We mirror their behavior and learn to be a core part of our communities.  Throughout our lives, our parents lead us to be independent thinking individuals. As many of us know, those efforts can be challenging. The world is changing as quickly as they grow. Often the sleepless nights and worry seem endless. On this particular Sunday, we honor all parents who do everything to raise and protect their children.  HOW TO OBSE...

7-9-2019: My boyfriend came home early cause who's mom was getting something done. He told me that someone from day shift that was helping his line the day before had asked him if we were still together. Cause I guess he saw me and a guy walking. I'm assuming it was my friend. Said we looked like we were more then friends. Seriously? I was so irritated by this. My boyfriend broke down was crying and I just felt helpless. I don't know what to do to make sure he knows I only want him. He told new it's hard to not believe the rumors cause he was over the whole thing after last week. Then this happened. Just annoying and frustrated. 7-12-2019: Today we had to take our youngest to dr. She had to get blood work, chest x-ray and a breathing treatment. She has pneumonia. :( She is on meds now so hopefully she gets better soon. Just can't. Not to mention. Monday found out brother in law is in the hospital too. So I'm just a little stressed out with everything...

National Aunt and Uncle’s Day on July 26th honors a special set of relatives we look up to throughout our lives. During holidays, family events and sometimes sleepovers, aunts and uncles often hold an extraordinary place in our hearts. They fill our lives with fun, laughter, love and incredible memories.   This holiday provides an opportunity to spend time with our parents’ siblings we trusted and leaned on growing up.  It would be an excellent time to get out the old photo albums. Look through the pictures, and relive the memories of earlier days around the Christmas tree or at the 4th of July picnic or maybe at the beach vacation that included those special aunts and uncles in your life. Get together with your relatives and create new memories. Remind them of all the reasons you enjoy having them in your life. Celebrate the lessons they’ve taught you and share them with the next generation.  Another way to celebrate the day is by documenting family me...

I thought for my first post I would share what I wrote for our anthology, Invisible Not Imagined to give you an overview of what my life is like and then every week write about where I'm at both physically and mentally. This piece is called "Who Would Love Me" and describes a lot of what I deal with on a daily basis. I sit here, tears streaming down my face, the weight of everything that is wrong with me is crashing down around me. I was never really an unhealthy person. Maybe a bit overweight, but that’s another topic for another day. I don’t even know when it happened, but everything changed. Slowly my life became one giant clusterfuck of problem after problem. I don’t even know where it started. The insomnia, maybe? But it wasn’t so bad in the beginning. I could sleep most of the time. But somewhere along the line, everything spiraled out of control, leaving me a walking disaster with no way out. Insomnia, migraines, anxiety, depression, and chronic...

7-5-19: So this week has been pretty good. Was off from work got time with my kids and my boyfriend. We went to Idaho for the 4th of July. Which was a lot of fun. Fire, candy, sun, time with family and friends and so much more. I know the kids had fun and I did. Boyfriend seemed to have a decent time too. For sure something that was needed. We got out of the house and time with each other. It was just a really good time and I'm not unhappy at all right now.

Ever wondered why we set off those humungous kaleidoscopes of gunpowder in our sky each Fourth of July? Apparently, the history of fireworks in America is as old the country itself.  On our first Independence Day celebration, held in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, when the country was still in the midst of the Revolutionary War against Britain, citizens came together to watch their new nation’s sky illuminated in a grand display meant to raise spirits. “I think they wanted to create a morale booster, and it worked,” James R. Heintze, author of The Fourth of July Encyclopedia, told USA Today. “The news spread, and Fourth of July celebrations with fireworks took hold quickly in other places.” One of our Founding Fathers had even predicted that Americans would commemorate their independence with pomp and circumstance. On July 3, 1776, a day ahead of the Continental Congress’ adoption of the final version of the Declaration of Independence, Massachusetts delegate Joh...

Date: June 23, 2019 Band: Powerman 5000 Venue: Every Buddy's Bar and Grill Supporting Acts: Stumpt , Filthy Sweet By Kate Marie Robbins I knew this show was going to be a lot of fun because I was going with Jen (my sister) and Andrea (my best friend). And it would be the first gig I ever went to with Andrea. It was actually her idea to go.  The venue was a lot smaller than I anticipated and was set up weird, with the stage right next to the entrance. But let's backtrack a second. I had told Andrea if I could manage it, she'd get to meet the band. When we were waiting to get in Spider (lead singer of PM5K) came out and Andrea wanted to get a picture. So I took her over to get one. She was pretty happy about that.  The first band to play was called Stumpt. They weren't bad, but the vocals were a bit hard to understand. So I can't really give a fair assessment of them.  The second band to play was called Filthy Sweet. The...

July Band of the Month: Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1996. The four members – lead vocalist/pianist Chris Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion – were at University College London and came together from 1996 to 1998, during which time the band changed names from Pectoralz, to Starfish, then Coldplay. Creative director and former manager Phil Harvey is often referred to as the fifth member by the band. They recorded and released two EPs: Safety in 1998 and The Blue Room in 1999. The latter was their first release on a major label, after signing to Parlophone. Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with the release of the song "Yellow" in 2000, followed in the same year by their debut album Parachutes, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The band's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), was released to critical acclaim and won many awards, including NME's Album of th...

1.    Summarize who you are in three words. Funny, caring, survivor 2.    What is your personal philosophy? Always be kind to others, you never know what they are going through 3.   My passion is? My family 4.    The compliment people give me the most frequently is? I don't really receive a lot of compliments 5.    My cure for sadness is? Try to make people laugh 6.    The last book I read was? The Secret Life of Mac 7.     My role model is? My mom and dad 8.     Favorite part of your daily routine? When I get to see my grandson 9.     What fictional place would you like to visit? Indigo  10.    Where is the most interesting place you’ve been? Still waiting 11.    Who inspires you to do better? My family 12.    A charity that means a lot to you is? Cancer research 13.   ...

More than one out of every five (20.8%) students report being bullied. 60.3 million U.S. workers are affected by workplace bullying. 19% of Americans suffered abusive conduct at work, another 19% have witnessed it, and 63% are aware that workplace bullying happens.  Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what is right. Bullying is around us from the time we enter school and for some it is still there when they become adults. It is time to take a stand and rise above the bullying.  In this anthology you will find a collection of short stories and poetry dealing with this very important topic. Some are true, some are not, but all have a powerful message.  All proceeds from this book will be donated to STOMP Out Bullying. Available now on Amazon !