Everybody Counts Again!!

I’m so excited!! It’s time for Everybody Counts!! Last Friday, I spoke to the third graders at one of my favorite elementary schools. We had so much fun!! Tomorrow, I am speaking all day at a different school! I’m not sure how many classes I will get to be with, but I have a feeling that it’s going to be a great day!! I LOVE spending time with kids!! And I love this program!! This will be my fourth or fifth year as a speaker. I have such fond memories of my time spent with these kids, and I am always so excited when I get to do it again!
In other news, I got a new wheelchair today!! When I go to the mall, airport and other places where we do a lot of walking, I often ride in a wheelchair because I have trouble keeping up with my average sized family and friends. I also have joint trouble every once in a while, so it helps to ride in a chair when my legs are hurting. My old wheelchair is about 12 years old. It’s getting pretty worn out and pathetic! We have recently been told that the average person uses a wheelchair for about 5 years! So, we thought it was about time to upgrade to the latest and greatest model. (ha ha!) We picked it up this afternoon, and I’m so impressed! It’s a pretty blue color. Okay, you might be asking yourself: “How does she know it’s pretty?” Well, I let my mom pick the color, and I trust her judgment. I’ve never been able to see colors, so I really have no clue what blue looks like. Yes, I know that the sky is blue, the Blue Man Group is blue, and Smurfs are blue. But other than that, it’s all pretty meaningless. Don’t worry, I really don’t mind. I’m pretty happy in my black and white world on most days. I’m really looking forward to Heaven though. I hear it’s going to be really colorful and gorgeous there, and I can’t wait to see it all!

The Bucket List

The Bucket List
Place an (x) by all the things you’ve done and remove the (x) from the ones you have not. Then send it to your friends (including me). This
is for your entire life!

( ) Been to Europe

( X ) Been on a cruise (My favorite kind of vacation!!)

( ) Gone on a blind date

( ) Skipped school

( X ) Watched someone die

( ) Been to Canada

( X ) Been to Mexico

( X ) Been to Florida

( X ) Been on a plane

( X ) Been lost

( X ) Gone to Washington , DC
( X ) Been to Vegas

( ) Climbed a lighthouse

( X ) Swam in the ocean
( X ) Cried yourself to sleep

( X ) Played cops and robber.

( ) Flown a plane
( ) Owned a boat

( ) Watched grandchildren grow

( X ) Recently colored with crayons (With Baby Ashlynne! She loves to color)
( ) Been to the Kentucky Derby

( X ) Been to Key West
( X ) Been to a rodeo
( X ) Sang Karaoke

( ) Paid for a meal with coins only

( X ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t?
( X ) Made prank phone calls. (No comment.)

( X ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose (I laugh a lot!)

( X ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

( X ) Danced in the rain

( ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe

( ) Watched the sunrise with someone

( ) Seen the green flash at sunset … what flash?

( X ) Blown bubbles

( ) Gone ice-skating

( X ) Gone to the movies

(X ) Owned a convertible (My Barbie Corvette counts, right?)
1. Any nicknames? Jules, Juju, Ju Boo, Juke-aboo… (I could go on for a while!)
2. Mother’s name? Karen
4. Body piercing? No. Hey, what happened to #3?
5. How much do you love your job? I LOVE it!!!
6. Birthplace? Washington
7. Ever been to Hawaii? Yes
8. Ever been to Africa? No
9. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? That sounds like something I might do.
10. Ever been on TV? Yes, I was interviewed on PBS. It was so fun!
11. Ever steal any traffic sign? Ummm, no. What kind of question is that?
12. Ever been in a car accident? Yes, but I was too young to remember it.
13. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? I don’t drive. That would be so dangerous!
15. Favorite number? 7
16. Favorite movie? Anne of Green Gables
17. Favorite holiday? Christmas
18. Favorite dessert? Anything chocolate
19. Favorite food? I like pretty much everything except brussel sprouts
20. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
21. Favorite kind of body wash? Bath and Body Works
23. Favorite smell? Something yummy baking in the oven.
24. How do you relax? Listening to books on tape, watching movies, listening to relaxing music
25. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Still 3 feet tall, but much wiser.

Life Without Limbs

Here is a video to inspire you and uplift your spirit. Copy and Paste into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtweZxNGk1Y

What Are We Missing?

Here is an e-mail forward I just received:
This will make you think….

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.
During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to
meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for
work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the
mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents,
without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He
collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with
a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception,
taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate
it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing
the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?