Remembering Girl Power: The Spice Girls

So I took another walk down memory lane to remember another fond memory of mine:
The Spice Girls. 




This group of girls were totally my idols growing up as a teenager. I danced and listened to their music as loud as I could (without my mom telling me to turn it down!) and even won a lip-sync contest "singing" to these girls.


It was in high school during my junior year. I put on a tiny little black dress and decorated it with glow in the dark stars. The stars spelled out "Spice Girls" on my dress. I put my hair in pig tails and played the roll of "Baby Spice." It was quite a moment to me, because in high school-I was pretty quiet most of the time. So once I hit the stage and threw off my jacket and danced down to the Spice Girls in front of my high school classmates-jaws were hitting the floor. It wasn't something that the shy quiet side of me would normally do....  Yet deep down inside-I loved every minute of it!...  


In fact, I loved the Spice Girls so much, that I drew a big huge cartoon picture of them on my bedroom wall. Later on after I moved out, I believe that my dad didn't really have too much fun painting over that picture...lol..... I took an entire day to draw that.. Was quite a piece of artwork!


Sometimes I still find myself singing their songs. I even showed some of their videos to my daughter. She found herself liking a few of them.  Every now and then, I wish that the girls were still together, but I know they have grown up to have families of their own, and also have went on to pursue personal interests as well. At least I will always have the memories!


.....You can read my memories of the Spice Girls by clicking on the link  below:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8151177/remembering_girl_power_the_spice_girls.html?cat=33

Remembering Fred Rogers and His Neigborhood

A little while back, I decided to write an article about Fred Rogers. 


I grew up watching his show and loved watching him every day. I was awed by his trick of throwing his shoes up in the air and giggled when he tried to make homemade peanut butter in a plastic bag. He actually took some peanuts, a little bit of sugar and some butter and squished it all together in a plastic bar. Mr. Rogers tried to look surprised when the finished product didn't quite taste like peanut butter. That episode always sticks out the most in my head.


I have read both positive and negative remarks about Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. Some say he gave people the creeps because he would say that "I love you," or "Let's be friends." But sometimes--kids needed somebody that they knew loved them, or who wanted to be their friends... Mr. Rogers was something nice to sit down and enjoy as a kid. He showed you new things, how different items were made and even had a little land of make-believe. Sometimes he was something a child could turn to for awhile after a bad day of bullying at school...That show was one of my top favorites.


So, in honor of his memory, I wrote a short article at Yahoo! and thought I would share it with you all. Fred Roger's was definitely not someone to be creeped out by. He was a role model, and really loved you for who you were... 


Click to read the article: Remembering Mr. Roger's and His Neighborhood 

Douglas County Cancer Relay for Life 2011

On Saturday night, June 12th, 2011, 
I got the honor of writing and reading a poem for the Cancer Relay for Life for Douglas county in my area. It was a pleasure writing the poem and getting to read it. While I was somewhat nervous reading it (the crowd was a little larger than I was used to), it was definitely for a good cause. I have lost 2 grandfathers to Cancer, and have had other relatives fight the battle as well. 


Below, you will find the poem that I wrote that was read at the Douglas county Cancer Relay for Life 2011 during the Luminary Ceremony...


 _______________________

The Fight of Their Lives

God gave each and everyone of us a precious gift of life.

We learned to love and laugh

and develop inspirational dreams.

But for some,

their gift of life was cut a bit shorter at the seams.

They were family who shared a part of our lives,

and friends, whom we cried together,

with tears in our eyes.

We held their hands through each and every difficult part

And with strength and courage,

we fought all the way until the very last beat of their heart.

God blessed us with their cherished gifts that they brought to our lives.

And today, their love and memories are what enables us to fight

through this stride.

While their passing made us tearful with sorrow...

We have to realize that our life here on earth

is just a short time to borrow.

Each day is another courageous fight,

So that we get another chance to say

“I love you, and good night.”

On some days, there will still be some that are scared and unsure,

But there are many of us joining our hands together,

that believe in a miracle cure.

Our undying faith will lead the way.

Because in our hearts,

we all know that prayers can be answered

each and every day.

Identity Theft Crimes

Around 27 million people have been victims of identity theft. Its becoming a common crime as technology continues to develop. Stealing identities is more about just taking social security numbers. Now identity thefts are taking debit and credit card numbers too. 


A news story reported that customers who had shopped at a Michael's craft store had became victims of identity theft. Thieves who made themselves looked like repairmen, installed special chips into the store's card readers so that they could have access to many credit and debit card numbers. Within hours, unknown transactions were being reported on customer's cards. Luckily, local law enforcement was able to catch it and the victims were able to undo their transactions. Although, I am sure that store will be more careful about who comes to "repair" their equipment from now on. 


Identity theft protection is more important than ever since the crime is becoming more common. Not only is it up to the law to protect you, but you must take action to protect yourself too. Companies such as IdentityHawk is also offering services to help others not to become victims of this personal crime too.  IdentityHawk was created to help consumers safeguard their assets, their properties, and their good names. Through their suite of protective benefits, IdentityHawk members can view the health of their identity protection, identify areas where they're most at risk, and take proactive steps to reduce those risks.


Some ways to protect yourself include:


*Never giving your social security number out to individuals. You really should leave your card locked up unless you are signing up for services or licenses that require it


*Keep your debit/credit card in a plastic case and keep it close to you at all times. Some identity thieves are now carrying special equipment to scan your wallets and purse to obtain card numbers


*Don't give your debit/credit card numbers or pin numbers out to anybody. Keep the information locked away and only available to those who are close to you should something happen to you later on.

The Rising Popularity of eBooks & Ebook Publishing

A week or so ago, Amazon reported that it sold more eBooks than paper-back books for the first time. Do you think this could be that paper-backs are slowly leaving our bookshelves? With new tech gadgets such as iPads, the Nook and Kindles, eBooks are becoming increasingly more popular. 


With the increase of eBooks, having the ability to self publish is also becoming easier. There are many programs that allow you to turn your written document from WORD into an eBook with simple PDF creators. Some websites allow you to upload your eBook for free for others to read. You can also sell your own eBooks on eBay and Amazon too.


Since eBooks are becoming more of a trend, I thought I would try selling some of them on eBay. I won't report my source, but I have access to a variety of different eBooks that I have reseller's rights to, and have started to sell them on eBay. Pretty soon, I will probably begin listing some old paperbacks too. I may try my own little test, and see how well they sell....


If you would like to take a look at my current eBooks for sale on eBay, click on the link below:


ARIANA's eBOOKS for SALE on EBAY


For more information, read about eBook publishing by clicking on the article link below too:


*Ebook Publishing Software for Authors

WCIA Channel 3 News Visits Arthur, IL

The WCIA Channel 3 News team visited the little town of Arthur, Illinois this week as part of the "Our Hometown" series tour. They spent time interviewing residents and local businesses. Some of the places they stopped were Dick's pharmacy, Miller's Goods, the sewing store and even the Arthur Elementary school. 


It was a lot of fun watching them broadcast live this Friday, (May 27th, 2011). I got to see the news team in action as they interviewed a variety of people, taste tested the one pound burger from The Berg and even reported the weather.  I also got to meet Jennifer Ketchmark who was very friendly to speak with! It was a pleasure meeting her. And as the poet that I am, I also left her with a little souvenir from Arthur-a poem written by me! :) 


If you want to read more about their visit, read my article by clicking on the link below:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8098161/our_hometown_arthur_wcia_channel_3.html?cat=16



Oh, and I also got to have my picture taken with the Sunny Bear Mascot of Channel 3 news!  For fun, I did some of the weather reporting lines, so I just might get a chance to see myself doing some weather this summer on channel 3 news!

There is No Predicting Rapture

So they all say that the world is going to end on Saturday, May 21st which is today..Or not quite end, but be the day of RAPTURE...well...Nobody knows that day except for God...so here is a poem in tribute to the day of RAPTURE.....

_______________________________

There is No Predicting Rapture

There will come a day when we may have to choose,

or the day, that God will take all of those who believe to heaven

Nobody can guess the exact day, time or date…

It’s up to God, who gets to go through that gleaming pearly gate.

Many will try to foretell the future,

And tell us when they think God will come back again,

But time and time again, it is our Lord who will prove them wrong and win.

If you believe in the holy spirit, there is no reason to fear,

As long as you believe, God will always be near.

Nobody can predict a rapture or the end of days…
It’s up to God, and how he decides how we all should part ways…

Somewhere up above, there’s a heaven waiting for all of those who believe

A place, where we will never have to feel alone, or have to leave…
A place full of hope, forgiveness and love
It’s a place called heaven

Way up above the trees…

 So to all of those crazy fortune seekers…

Quit predicting the day of rapture…please…