Mr. Garner Goes To Washington

Over the past six months at AOL, one topic of personal reflection is upon my online skills. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm a "rick-of-all-trades...master-of-none" in the skills department. I don't consider myself a Graphic Artist, although I know my way around Photoshop and can create a variety of online graphics. I don't consider myself a Web Designer, although I can lay out a site the way I'd like it to appear and function. I don't consider myself a Web Programmer, although I know my way around several web languages.

It's natural and healthy to look back over the past year. We must learn from our past or be doomed to repeat it. I enjoy thinking about the year my family and I have experienced. For my family, 2008 marked our 3rd year of living in a townhouse in Maryland. Our search for homes began shortly after I moved in with my in laws in June '04. Then, the housing market was a seller's market. As time dragged on, I began to wonder "am I really supposed to be here?" Sure, I knew God had provided the opportunity, He had answered my prayers of allowing Kim to stay at home with a newly born Georgia, and He had shown me that it's not who you know but Who you know that can open job doors.

One of my favorite Christmas movies is "A Christmas Carol" and my favorite version is the one with George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge . His portrayal of the miserable old miser is glorious. In the end of this Dickens' classic, Scrooge is a reformed, changed man, with a promise for doing good with his life and money. Yet, when someone is called a Scrooge, there's only one of several meanings: nasty, stingy, joyless, dismal, heartless...what Ebenezer was for over 2/3 of the the tale. Granted, this is merely an ageless fictional story (although some of the best stories spring forth from the truth of reality) but how often do we always remember a person for what they did much of their life or for one moment in their life?

After 11 years of marriage, one tends to know what to expect from their spouse. Certain mannerisms, habits, and patterns are anticipated. However, there's always room for surprises...like this year. I've personally never had aspirations of being the lead character, Clark Griswold, from the National Lampoon's Vacation movies. Having seen the others years ago, "Christmas Vacation" seems a bit tamer and developed a bit of a "cult following" of sorts. It became an annual tradition for Kim and I several years ago, and it can stand on its own from the others. Great chuckles 19 years later...wow, has it been that long?)

The tiny middle-eastern female doctor's tone seemingly hid the words, "but you could've gotten it, ya big dummy." As any of my Twitter or Facebook followers know, I've had a long bout with bronchitis. Seemingly, it's been clinging to me for a month and I thought my bout was almost over. And it may have been so, until I do the one thing we men tend to do so well: outpace ourselves. It's this little seed of pride/rebellion/foolishness that's inside all of us (although men seem to have an extra dose) that says, "You'll be fine...ride it out...you don't need any help...you're a man's man...you can find your own way."

I broke no early ground in the social networking scene. In fact, my arrival at the party was rather late. It seems these new tools need to be relevant before they're used. For me, it took moving to Maryland before I stared a blog. Well, it was a Yahoo Group in June '04 and is now the blog at which you are reading. Next, came the MySpace page. At the time, I was also collecting hundreds of friends for the WUSA MySpace page. My problem with MySpace is it's become such a haven for mindless applications, cheap profile skins, and peeps tryin ' to hook up. I try to keep the page updated but only at a minimal effort.

A school in California had kindergartners sign pledge cards produced by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, to not use "anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender language or slurs." Link Why is sexual orientation a topic in kindergarten?! In today's society, it's possible that there's so little discipline or love in a home that hateful words and attitudes are byproducts. Thus, the classroom becomes the only place for a child to learn why being kind to one another is important. However, kindergartners aren't concerned with sexual orientation. Basic kindness doesn't require acknowledgement of sexuality. At best, boys think girls have cooties and vice-versa. Otherwise, their focus is on everything else. That's how it should be. It's about fun. Yet, we try and grow up our children too fast because we want them to be well-rounded and open-minded.

It's finally over. We as a nation have chosen our next President. For myself and many others, it's a relief in that it's over. No more campaigning, commercials, or other pieces of info. The never-ending story has gone on for nearly 2 years. The final page is turned and it is finished. There are good things I will take away from this election. It's encouraging and refreshing to see so many get excited about voting. The amount of youth who chose to vote is wonderful and amazing. This excitement began with the '04 elections along with online coverage resources. With this election, most of our information and updates are online. The opportunity that a black man can become President is refreshing considering the newness of this nation and the closeness of the Civil Rights movement.

Since it's Halloween, I'm sharing with you a creepy piece of paranormal evidence. Around April 2001, I began researching for a local broadcast news investigative series to be titled "Unexplained" which would air on News Channel 12, the CBS affiliate in Jackson, Mississippi. Reporter Darren Dedo , Photojournalist Rob Ruffin , Production Manager Ed Mazzone and I had produced the previous year a 4-part series called "Ghost Hunt" where we explored several local properties rumored to be haunted. The series was a blast to produce and we received an Associated Press award. When we decided to do the series on a monthly basis, my first stop was the Civil War battlefield of Raymond, MS. It was a warm April evening and dusk had set in. I brought along a tape recorder and my digital camera. While recording, I began asking questions and snapping digital pics of my surroundings after each question: "Is anyone here?" "What's your name?" "How d...

It's a phrase you've either heard before but never experienced, you've been there/done that, or you're there now: living paycheck to paycheck. It's not something many talk about...whether out of pride or just that they know the season will pass. For us, the financial squeeze came into play in August when we had to pay for both Georgia's then daycare at USDA and start paying tuition for her school at First Baptist School of Laurel. To add to the equation, I took a pay cut to work at AOL with the knowledge that at bonus and raise was in the future. However, instead of end of year, the bonus isn't coming until late February. God always provides for your needs and even some of your wants. In our 11 years of marriage, Kim and I have never gone without. Maybe we've had to delay paying a bill, stop eating out, "brown bagging" lunch, or holding off on trips...but we've never gone without. We make sacrifices for our families. For us, sacrificing a c...

One of the highest compliments a dad can be paid is having their daughter to want them to be their prince at the ball. Ever since Georgia grew beyond Veggie Tales (she still enjoys Bob & Larry), she's had a fascination with the Disney Princesses. Cinderella remains her favorite but she must compete with Sleepy Beauty, Ariel, and Belle. Coupled with her love to dance and the splendor of a ball, Georgia loves to put one of her "dress-up gowns" and go to the Ball. It's here, dads, that we can be amerce ourselves in the roll or skim through it. I've been there...you want to be a good dad and show her attention...you want to play the roll one more time. Maybe you even want to avoid the drama, so you half-heartily perform your duties and breathe a sigh of satisfaction when you can return to your agenda. There's no doubt you'll be in that place, again. But I pray it's not too often. I've learned to cherish that request to dance with her. To realiz...

In an earlier post, my words reflected my disinterest with politics. This is a rather intriguing stance being as we're at the political hub of America. However, with the Presidential election looming closer and closer my interests have intensified. With this election, we as a nation are at a crossroads. Never before has our country seen its morals so decomposed. After all, our focus today is completely on satisfying our selfish needs while never offending anyone. Women should have the right to terminate their pregnancy whenever they want. After all, Senator Obama thinks that when life begins is "above his pay grade" and House of Rep. Speaker Pelosi thinks this debate has been going on for years in the Catholic church. Life begins at conception. Period. On the same course, let's advance stem-cell research. Never mind that adult stem-cells are fine and don't end life. No, let's push for embryonic stem-cell research and continue to kill human life in the ...

It's not often a movie is labeled wholesome, uplifting, inspiring, and challenging. That's a very tall order for any movie to deliver. Yet, "Fireproof" satisfies that order with healthy dashes of drama, action, and comedy. The plot is simple. Captain Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron) is a well-trained firefighter and knows how to quickly respond to an emergency. However, he doesn't know how to communicate with his wife and doesn't know his marriage is in serious trouble until it's too late. Caleb seeks a quick fix to his wife Catherine (Erin Bethea ) and their marriage by seeking some fatherly wisdom. His dad, however, offers him a challenge that will shake Caleb to his very core. "Fireproof" goes beyond tackling how to better one's marriage by touching on internet pornography and seemingly innocent flirting...something that's touched everyone on one degree or another. My general rule of thumb with movie prices around $10 these days: it...

Man or woman, married or even thinking about getting married...there are some movies that are more than entertainment. They compile snapshots of our lives and explode them before our lives in vivid emotions. Make plans now to support this movie. See it and tell others about it.

This weekend, I had a double- whammie : the Gospel of Jesus Christ meets Broadway and a weekend in Amish country. Sight & Sound has several theaters producing professional, amazing performances which focus on sharing the Gospel on the magnitude of a full-Broadway production. Dozens of actors, elaborate sets, incredible lighting, and much more make these shows very memorable. In today's society of needing to be entertained, productions which focus on bringing the Gospel to life are few to none. Sight & Sound brings to life everything from the Garden of Eden to the birth of Christ and more. My family and in-laws saw "In The Beginning" along with a packed house and left truly amazed. Click here for more about the show . There's also something really special about Amish Country. The Intercourse/ Strasburg /Lancaster, PA area is a wonderful contrast from the complex city life. Huge farms, roadside stands, horses, sheep, and the frequent horse-drawn buggies. It...

A day to celebrate work by not working. Glorious. However, if you're in the broadcasting or retail field, you know Labor Day as hardly a holiday. For broadcasters, the show must go on. It's a 24/7 business whether its onair or online. Retailers know its a holiday when people will either be shopping or can more easily be enticed to to shop. So, in both cases, resources are needed. Bodies need to occupy chairs. My last four Labor Days have hardly been laborless . Labor Day '04 was spent in the office and the next three were spent focusing on where content was originating for WUSA 9.com or some other needs/issues requiring a phone call and or email disrupt my holiday. Today was amazing. No calls. No emails. A true holiday with the family. Every line of work needs to understand that a break is good for workers to unplug, unwind, and powerdown . Those projects can sit for another day and the morale that is built can't be bought anywhere.

It won't be long before my little girl starts Preschool. Hard to believe she's 4 years old and harder to believe she's going from daycare at Kim's work to Pre -K at First Baptist Church of Laurel School. Tuesday is her first day. Funny where the mind goes with thoughts like these. Such as the pic above. My widdle mind wandered to my first lunch box...maybe not literally my first since I think that was Battlestar Gallactica ...but I definitely remember ole Luke kickin it swamp style with Yoda and the red thermos with the yellow lid. That was a schweet lunch box. So, G has her choice of two. One is a fabulous gift from the Rials boys in Mississippi...all monogrammed and fun with a lady bug on it. Havin a total brain cramp right now on what the other one is. Hmmm . Oh well. What fun! She's been waiting for it like a hungry monkey for two months. "Do I go to my new school next week?" inquires the child who likes to know her schedule and what's next. ...

Give me a break. Here's a wonderful example of how Hollywood is cannibalistic...not that you should be surprised. Perhaps you missed the story. Roseanne in a post to her website expressed her opinions about how Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie use their money and thinks that Angelina should make a choice on who to endorse in the Presidential race. Roseanne writes, "Also Miss Jolie says she likes McCain too and hasn't decided who to endorse....huh? Aren't you supposed to be somewhat enlightened, or do you not know that the African daughter you hold in every picture had parents who suffered and died because of the Republican party's worldwide economic assault on Africa over the last few decades since Reagan?" she adds. The only reason I'd even spend time on this post is to applaud this A-List Hollywood couple for at least being open to another candidates views. Typically, Hollywood clings to liberal issues and Democrat candidates. So, for major figures in Tinsel...

We've had some amazing weather as of late in Maryland. Nothing like upper-60s to low-70s as evening falls. It's even gotten into the 50s in some burbs. And this is August?! While walking Maddy tonight, I noticed the moon looking very similar to the image on left. My thoughts instantly went to what's around the corner: my favorite time of year! I love Fall...the temps, the smell on the winds, the color of leaves, and Halloween. Mmmmmm , time for some shut-eye with the windows open. :)

One of my father-in-law's favorite quotes is: " If you always do what you've always done...you'll always get what you've always gotten. " So, to our vacationing members of Congress, thanks for continuing to ignore the people's desires to drill offshore and find LOCAL means of energy. If you're not around to vote, maybe people will forget? Maybe the energy concern will go away, right? Grrrrr. On April 19, 2006, the then Senate Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stated, "Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices…join Democrats who are working to lower gas prices now.” Since Democrats have been in power with promises of lower gas prices, $4+/gallon gas prices have become common place. Yesterday , the lights and mics were turned off and the House had stopped TV feeds to C-Span after the pre-noon vote to adjourn Congress for the August recess. Republicans, however, demanded that Congress stay in session until it did something about high gas prices. "Ma...

This post will have nothing to do with my adventures in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Yet, it still reflects on me today. I served in the Contemporary Christian music field for nearly 10 years at WHJT and WYJS in Jackson, MS. It was here that I learned CCM was years behind the mainstream music scene. Lyrics at the time weren't strong, music was weaker, and CCM had a growing following that could be so much larger if the music was closer in quality to mainstream tunes. Flash forward to today and the clip I've posted from Superchick . Glorious. Artists today can go toe-to-toe with their mainstream counterparts in lyrics, sound, and music videos. Additionally, there's something to be said for making Christian radio a habit. You know the ole phrase "garbage in, garbage out"? If we listen to and watch garbage on a daily basis, we become immune to it and our spirit is grinded down each time. However, the positive messages of Christian lyrics coupled with...

Only in Japan could one create the "Lap Pillow" which apparently only comes in red or black short-skirted female laps. However, this post has nothing to do with this odd sleep aide. I merely found it...wait for it...a knee slapper! Oy. No, today I'd like to focus on how blessings seem to always "plop in your lap." Have you noticed this? There's no such thing as microwaveable blessings. They seem to come out of no where and require only our faithful prayer, obedience, and patience. For example, my new job at AOL. For over two years, I searched for a new job using email search agents and submitting my resume online. At best, a few nibbles and an occasional phone or in-person interview came about...but none led to anything serious. Next came emails and calls from technical recruiters from all across the DC Metro area. I highly recommend recruiters but you MUST know: they get paid by the companies with the jobs you seek. So, they're working for compani...

Yup, hard to believe that in about 5 days, I'll have been at AOL for a month! Each week I've had someone ask in one form or another if I'm still enjoying it. Ummm , YAH ! :) I had my concerns since this was my first departure from radio or television in 20 years. However, I knew this was a door the Lord had opened...so it was where I was meant to go...and it was an answer to prayer. It's always great when your boss doesn't know how she remained sane before your arrival and says it feels like you've around for months. I seem to be fitting in and acclimating well to the position and tasks! AOL is in Dulles, Virginia. Keep in mind, I live in Columbia, Maryland. Oddly enough, the drive is actually shorter than my former trip to W*USA9 in DC. AOL takes me 70 minutes (or 1.5 hours one way...to round off) and WU*SA9 was almost always 90 minutes. AOL is 35 miles one way which is 10 more than W*USA9. But distance and time aren't a concern since I...

It's not everyday that Kim gets a chance to go to NYC for $20 and also see her sister. That chance came yesterday and thus allowed for Kim to have a break from parenting and the daily routines and a chance to get some girl time, while Georgia and I had the pleasure of spending the day together. It was rather simplistic in its gloriousness . The morning was spent with waffles (which G will quickly tell you that I can make waffles but not pancakes...the last experiment with those was a bit uneatable) and cartoons...a nap for G...and then a jaunt to feed the ducks at a lake in Laurel. We went to the Granville Guide Park & Lakehouse . The G did very well with her aquatic friends, as you'll see below. She rather looks as if she's holding court. Gimmie the bread, lady, wwwahhhhhhk ! Most entertaining is the "beat" from the music at the end of the clip. It's coming from the Don Pablo's mexican restaurant a few feet away. However, suddenly the d...

Started at AOL yesterday and it was a phenomenal first day. The day began with a 2 1/2 commute. Yeah, 150 minutes of hiney -numbing fun which was courteous of an accident on the Beltway and me not hitting the backroads sooner. The drive home - 90 minutes. Much better but that may be the best it's gonna get since I'm commuting from Columbia, MD to Sterling, VA. We'll see what happens today! Meanwhile, I'll be auctioning my birthday suit to the highest bidder today. Here's a picture of it being worn by someone looking like Lyle Lovett . Well, actually, he might look better than Lyle but I digress. Hilarious!

We survived a jaunt to Ocean City, MD this past weekend. To end of my week of between-jobs, Kim, her parents, Georgia, and I went over last Thursday through yesterday. What a glorious time to being away! G became a "waterbug" and only wanted to stay in the pool. But she also liked our visit to the beach which was filled with looking for shells and playing with sand. My back is still complaining a bit but it was well worth it for a nice summer weekend. Pics should be coming soon...

So far, so good. I've survived 5 days WITHOUT A CELL! Can you belive it? My cell was the work phone, so when I turned that in Friday upon my departure of W*USA9, I entered foreign terrority: a wirlessness world! Horrors. Actually, it's been refreshing. No constant pings from incoming emails or texts. No additional ringys from whomever. While driving around for errands...yeah, there's a part of me that'd like to have a cell handy. Or while in the Highlander to Ocean City tomorrow, yeah, I'd like to have the freedom to search the web. But I can wait. My hope is that I'll get a cell with the new gig at AOL and perhaps a laptop. We'll see. For now, we're off to the OC until Sunday morning. Chow for now!

I resigned from W*USA9 May 30. The next three weeks are a blur of training my staff to perform my duties and multiple goodbyes. Who doesn't hate goodbyes? Probably the only thing worse than a goodbye is a long goodbye. There comes the point you just wanna say, "Okay, time to sneak out the back door." You're ready to roll, said all the toodles you want, and your heart which hasn't been in your job for a while REALLY is ready to move on. Yet, you know you've gotta stick it out. W*USA9 will always be an important chapter in my life. I'll never doubt or regret coming to work at the CBS affiliate in Washington, DC. The opportunity presented itself at a time I truly felt that I had to "know someone" in order to get out of Jackson, Mississippi, and work on the east coast. The Lord reminded me, "Yeah, HELLO, you know Me !" Boom, I'm in DC! The last four years have been tough professionally and personally. If you've read my ea...

Not expecting a reply to my note, it would seem I'm getting the "standard safe form response": ==================================================== Dear Mr. Garner: Thank you for getting in touch with me again about energy policy. You have obviously given this a great deal of time and thought ‑‑ I've learned from hearing your views. I want to be responsive to the needs of all Marylanders when I make decisions. Information from people like you is essential if I'm to reach that goal. Again, thanks for keeping in touch with me. Please let me know if I may be of assistance in the future. Sincerely, Barbara A. Mikulski United States Senator

If you haven't written your Senator about issues that concern you, please give it a whirl. It's your right as a U.S. citizen and as a voter. After all, these folks work for you. The gal at the left is my Senator. I lovingly refer to her as "the Bulldog" due to her looks and basically what falls out of her face: blah, blah. If folks in politics could have more oompah, more action to their words...how different things might be. So, I wrote to Bulldog about doing something with gas prices. Her response: ----- Original Message ---- From: senator@mikulski.senate.gov To: webmonkeydc@yahoo.com Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 5:58:07 PM Subject: Responding to your message Dear Mr. Garner: Thank you for contacting me about the high price of oil and gasoline. It's nice to hear from you. Gas prices are putting a tremendous burden on family budgets at a time when they are already stretched. That's why I am an original cosponsor of the Consumer First Energy Act of...

Those are three little words you like hearing a surgeon say about your daughter who had her tonsils and adenoids removed this morning at 8:30. There's something a bit scary about having your child going into surgery. Even though, she's prayed over and you have a peace that everything will be fine...there's still a little part that doesn't like the idea of your little girl being unconscious and cut on by strangers. After the quick paperwork and a few questions, G slipped into her hospital gown and bouffant cap. We spoke with a nurse, an anesthesiologist, another nurse, the doctor, and Grammie and Poppie slipped back for well-wishes. One parent is allowed to accompany the patient. G picked me. I was pleased, yet wasn't sure how this experience was gonna play out. I was already wanting to tear up about the whole thing. Soon, I was in a gown, shoe covers, and a bouffant cap. When it was time, I wheeled her into the operating room in a large plastic wagon....

Something about my work in broadcasting has always made me "break out" around my temples and forehead. Perhaps when I'm stressed, I just get more oily and thus the lovely pimple. So, Kim finds this stuff. Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi . Awa -what?! Tea Tree oil? Apply this stuff in the shower is like landing face first and skidding on thick grass. Not the feel...just the smell. Wow. Make the mistake of getting some in your mouth and that's worse than chewing grass. It's described as "a gentle cleansing solution that leaves your skin feeling clean and silky. This unique face wash contains natural Organic Tea Tree Oil, an inherent antiseptic. Included also are extracts of Goldenseal , Hawaiian White Ginger ( Awapuhi ) and the essential oil of Swiss Chamomile ( Matricaria ). Mineral-rich Bladderwack , harvested from the sea, nourishes the skin to leave it looking vibrantly healthy. Thoroughly Clean Face Wash ever so gently helps ...

I've truly found my nemesis when it comes to spicy. For those of you who know me, you're aware that spicy is the way I prefer nearly everything. My good buddy Preston has always warned me that one day my stomach and I are gonna seriously disagree. I've tasted many a hot sauces but Mad Dog Inferno is definitely the hottest I've encountered. Described as: "A full 20 minutes of serious burn..!" This stuff combines concentrated capsicum extract and jalapeno peppers with unsulphured molasses, garlic and clove to form an intense fusion of Caribbean flavor. One drop and you'll wonder what hit you. Extreme heat level - "90,000 scoville ." Most spicy sauces can nearly become a beverage for me but this stuff I've only been able to ingest mixing it with mayo. Next time you need a spice-off...this is the stuff that will break any opponent assuming you can handle the heat!

Everone's up in arms about Vice President Dick Cheney's comment delivered yesterday at a National Press Club's award lunch. “So we had Cheneys on both sides of the family...and we don’t even live in West Virginia." Cheney then added, "You can say these things when you're not running for reelection." The crowd got a nice chuckle out of it. Yet, this comment today is viewed as ignorant, insensitive , inappropriate , and disrespectful. Gimmie a break. I'm a born and bred product of Mississippi which has taken labels and jokes relating to poverty, rednecks, education, lack of footwear, cooking, hunters, weight, and even inbreeding. During Katrina, more importance and attention went to Louisiana than to Mississippi which literally had its sea legs wiped away by the hurricane when towns, cities , history, and lives were erased into oblivion. It's a joke, people! "Well, he's a public official, he shouldn't say things like that....

2008 is half full...or half-empty...it's half done. Can you believe it?! Next month is the halfway mark...then Christmas is here, again. Whew! But before that, Georgia turns 4 in July. Four years old! But before that, in June I've been working in DC for four years! How ironic, Georgia's age will always reflect such a change in my family's life. As our first child (for now anyway), she'll represent the wonderful change Kim and I were thrust into dubbed parenthood. And her age will represent the change of relocating to a new area for as long as we hang here. Although, Kim and G haven't been here for four years. Only 3 for them. Yeah, there was that whole "house didn't sell for a year thing." But all things work out in God's timing. Speaking of, I've begun writing a book. Actually, if I had it my way, I'd be an author today writing all sorts of stuff...fiction, parenting, poetry. Georgia's the inspiration for this current proj...

This past weekend was a nice time for "G" and I to spend some time together. No, that's not she and I on the beach...just seemed like a nice, relaxing picture of a dad and his little girl. :) Mommy went to Mississippi to catchup with some girlfriends from church. She left Thursday morning (4/3) and came back Sunday (4/6). She had a great time...but had a rather tornatic weekend: WJTV .com WLBT .com Clarionledger .com What a weekend to pick! Actually, the scary thing is that the damage is described as worse than Katrina. But in reality she "blew through" Jackson having already mortally scarred the coast. These were direct strikes by mother nature to Central Mississippi. So, Thursday I worked from home and G went to daycare a.k.a "school" at USDA. She enjoys the place. G went to Poppy & Grammy's to spend the night. She had fun with them on Friday and then we met for burgers at 5 Guys (the best burger joint around). Saturday morning was all a...

It's not often that I would devote a posting to voice my concern about a celebrity. However, Oprah may have fallen victim to her own open-mindedness. A very wise Sunday School teacher of mine once said, "Don't be so open minded that your brains fall out." Oprah, here's bucket, hun . Eckhart Tolle has authored "A New Earth." Oprah has channeled this book over her Book Club and co-hosts with Tolle multiple webcasts teaching Tolle's beliefs. "For those readers who are followers of these religions or teachings. I say to them: there is no need to go elsewhere for the truth. Let me show you how to go more deeply into what you already have." What I already have, Mr. Tolle ? If I don't know the love of Jesus Christ, I have only sin. However, Tolle and Oprah want you to believe that you have the power...that instead of everyone turning their eyes upon Jesus that if we look deeply into ourselves and love each other, our world will change. O...

Last Saturday, we experienced the Kite Festival at "The Mall" in DC. First, it's kinda comical that mall is used to describe a wide open strip of land between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. I digress. We purchased a "Hello Kitty" kite from Toys R Us a couple weeks ago and G was ready to for her experience. However, last Saturday morn, she was rather mellow. Seems she had a dream about her and a boy from her daycare ( grrrrrr ) standing in the rain and her dress got wet. Never mind that maybe they were soaked. Her dress was wet. Why were they in the rain? Details, this was a dream and her dream - so it's all about the dress. As for the boy, he's on my watch list. Hahaha . Getting out the door was one of those "how does it take this long to leave the house?!" kinda mornings. In the Highlander, G was talking non-stop. While driving for only a few minutes and me as a passenger, I dorn the hood of jacket, start sucking my thumb, roc...