Ball State

» sports tickets

By China at 3:45 PM

This summer I have been working in a sports bar here in town. So far it has been really slow since everyone has left town to go on vacation. The only kids left around the college are students like me who are either broke, or getting closer to it the more time they spend here. I am working both as a bartender for the extra cash in tips and as a cook because I really like the work. It is a lot of fun when it's really busy because I don't have much time to do anything but think about work. This is when shifts fly by and I get to do the things that I really want to do like go for long bike rides around town. This is especially true when I am working back in the kitchen because we just turn the radio on and then everything else just sort of disappears from our world's. When I am out with the crowd it is a little different story because I am up there in front of a screaming crowd of people who all needs drinks, and the witnesses all fly past asking for pitchers while I just have to try to stay as calm as possible. If I don't stay calm then I get worse and worse at my job as a night goes on. I learned that lesson from experience. One of the cool perks about working at the bar through the summer, is the discounts they give to these employees come the fall. When classes start back up again and some of us need to cut back on hours the managers give some incentives to those who worked the summer, to keep us working for them all year. Being a sports bar, they figure that there is no better incentive than tickets. The owner has lots of friends in the sports teams around the state, both college and professional. So he can get cheap or free sports tickets for many games during the year. He himself is very busy so he just gives the tickets away as they come to him. I heard about this before I started working, I have my eyes on his NFL tickets in the fall.

» apartments Umbria

By China at 7:47 PM

On a recent trip to Italy, I got to stay in a beautiful little area of the country called Umbria. Umbria is located in central Italy just east of Tuscany. The source of the Clitunno River is considered a beauty spot and words can not describe it. It is hard to look away once you have experienced its wonder. Umbria is beautifully green with rolling hills and mountains as a back drop. The incredible landscape is truly a sight to see.

While in Umbria I was amazed at the incredible accommodations. There were beautiful Umbria villas and apartments in Umbria. I stayed in one of the luxury Umbria villas and I was wowed. Not only did I have my own private swimming pool, but a hot tub as well. It was a great way to leave the world behind and just truly relax in all the beauty that this region had to offer. The apartments Umbria and beautiful villas were just a small part of this incredible trip.

The food was out of this world. Imagine a world of Truffle and sausage, ham of wild boar (which by the way this was my first experience ever eating and it was fabulous), pastas and fish coupled with some of the most exquisite wine in the world. The tastes were so amazing.

There was also a lot to see in this region full of art and culture. The Basilica of San Francesco was one of the most authentic pieces of Roman architecture that I have ever seen in person and the panoramic views were awe inspiring. I also truly enjoyed Gubbio where you can climb a 487 m high Ingino using an aerial ropeway. I think that this is the most adventurous thing I did on my Italian getaway, probably the most daring thing I have done in my life. And to my surprise I actually made it all the way up. It was a little frightening, but I have decided that it is time to begin living life and experiencing all that it has to offer. Life is too short to sit in the wings, if you know what I mean.

All in all, my trip was quite an experience and I really had a great time. I would like to go back again, maybe some day. I don't like to go to the same place twice, I feel that once you have experienced something as incredible as this, to return again, will not give you the same feeling that the first time did.

» health insurance

By China at 3:40 PM

Many insurance agents need leads to keep their business going. When times get slow and they are not getting a new influx of clients, this is a great time to try and get some leads and there many different companies out there to help you do this. They will provide you with different types of leads depending on your specialty. They can provide you with life insurance leads, health insurance leads, or even help you find people who are looking to purchase burial insurance.

A company that provides these leads weeds through people's personal information to help them connect with the right agent for their needs. They will try to match you with people in your area and who are looking for insurance in your area of interest. When seeking out one of these companies there are some things that you can do to insure the best results for your money.

First, be sure to provide them with as much information about your business as possible, including location of your business, special interests and even a picture if you have one available.

Second, be sure that you find a company that will provide you with leads that they are not supplying to a large group of people. If they give you a lead that then goes to ten other agents in your area, this will not really benefit your business in the way that you would like. No one needs to be contacted by ten different agents before choosing a policy. This will only create a negative attitude in a potential client, and they may wind up looking to have their insurance needs met in a different fashion if they feel like they are being harassed by phone.

Lastly, the most important thing that you must do if you want to really grow your business is to try and stay positive. In these difficult financial times, more and more people will be cutting back their insurance to try and meet their other financial obligations. Don't let this get you down, insurance is a necessary thing especially in difficult financial times. You just need to stay well versed in letting people know how important insurance is for the protection of themselves and their families. Be compassionate and understanding as you relate to others, and your business will reap the benefits. Be a real person and not a salesperson, and your business will boom.

» Games

By China at 3:18 PM

Games are a great way to pass the time. I am always surprised when someone, especially a child is unaware of how to play a board game. I think it is amazing when I try to play a game with a group of kids, and they don't understand certain basic board game playing rules, such as how we take turns and the person who rolls the highest number goes first. Stuff to me that seems like a basic understanding of game playing.

I grew up playing games with my family. I remember playing games like Boggle and Monopoly as a kid. Even as a young adult, whenever I would return home for a visit, at night we would pull out a board game and play. I think it is a great way to have fun and some family bonding time all at once. Unlike being in front of the TV together, playing a game gives you time to talk to one another, and to just have a genuinely good time together. Now as a parent, I enjoy playing games with my family. My kids being all different ages, sometimes it is difficult to find a game where everyone can participate without getting frustrated. Once I came across the new Cranium games I fell in love. They are the best family games I have ever seen, and the great thing is that from youngest to oldest anyone can win. We play on teams in some of the Cranium games and we have a blast. They are very active games, having you make things out of clay, draw things, and sometimes even go on a scavenger hunt for stuff. If you are trying to find good family games that even the playing field definitely try these games, they are for you.

I think with the introduction of a less person type of game play such as online games and even video gaming consoles, the main things that are missing are the level of personal interaction that allow you to really experience a good time, which in my opinion includes interactions with other human beings. Learning to play board games encourages children to learn basic turn taking, reading skills, and being a good sport. With the addition of all other types of gaming, be sure not to let the good old board game vanish into the woodwork. Take the time to play with your kids and I assure you, you will be glad you did.

» drug rehab

By China at 9:06 AM

Drug addiction afflicts a huge part of the US population - a reason why it has become a great cause for concern among many people. Studies show that only a few individuals suffering from addiction actually ever go into drug rehab and recover; this in spite of the fact that there are a lot of treatment facilities operating all over the country.

Identifying the key symptoms of drug addiction can be difficult especially if the individual is capable of hiding his problem quite well. For all you know, a member of your family or a colleague is already dependent on certain substances. In any case, understanding the intricacies of enrolling a loved one into a drug treatment center is one of the first steps that you can take to help him gain control of his life again.

By definition

A drug rehab basically encompasses all processes - whether medical or psychotherapeutic - that are geared towards helping an individual recover from his substance dependence. Substance abuse can take the form of addiction to drugs, alcohol or practically any other psychoactive compound that can cause mental and physical health issues. Regardless of the techniques used by a specific rehab, all these are geared towards preventing possible psychological, legal, financial and social repercussions that are brought about by drug addiction.

Two-fold treatment

In any drug rehab, expect a two-fold treatment process to be administered as addiction is not just a physiological affliction but a psychological one as well. It is important to address both aspects of the substance abuse in order to ensure full recovery. When one of these facets is over looked, the individual may suffer from an increased risk of relapse after he has completed treatment. It is the rehab's responsibility to make sure that all issues surrounding the condition are properly treated before releasing a patient from its care.

Treatment options

A drug rehab may offer a wide array of treatment options. Most facilities provide both in-patient and out-patient programs so individuals are given a chance to opt for a setup that will suit their needs. Local support groups are also established through the facilities as well as extended care centers for after-treatment support.

» Dahn yoga

By China at 2:35 PM

I am going to spend the summer with my friend Alex and I know it is going to be a blast. She is so much fun and she and I get along really well. I know this will be a very interesting summer. She lives a very interesting life style. She believes in eating a strict vegetarian diet, takes herbs and homeopathy for what ails her. She is very into health, meditation and exercise, which truthfully will be quite a change from my current fast food, dorm party existence, a little less than a holistic existence in my "normal" realm. In any case, I think it will be a really great thing to spend a few months trying a different, alternative lifestyle. She assures me that once I spend the summer with her, I will never stop living healthy. Alex swears that once you experience how much better you feel living a clean lifestyle you will never go back to junk food and alcohol. I guess I will soon find out if this is true.

She has already warned me about Dahn Yoga classes which she goes to religiously 3 times per week. She tells me that Dahn Yoga will really help me get control over my mind and will center me both physically and emotionally. I assured her that I am fine and the few times I have tried yoga I have found it extremely mundane, but she swears that I will love this form of yoga. She says she noticed the differences immediately, and that in addition to helping her be more centered, she has also noticed that her overall health has improved significantly. She says that this form of yoga was founded in Korea thousands of years ago and has been adapted to be used today. Alex says that the brain is the center of the teachings and that getting control of your mind is the key to all success in life. It can not only help with your physical health, but it can help you affect the whole universe.

Well, quite honestly I don't really want to affect the whole universe, but I would like to feel a little less tired and would really like to feel more balanced. I look forward to the challenges that this new lifestyle will provide me, and am grateful that in the end if I don't like them, I can return to my "normal" life unharmed.

» Rockville chiropractors

By China at 1:19 PM

What is a Chiropractor?

A Chiropractor is a doctor who specializes in removing spinal misalignments called vertebral subluxations that cause interference with the communication between the brain and tissues and cells of the body. This interference in the function of the nervous system causes tissues and cells of the body to suffer a loss of blood flow and nerve energy essential to keeping that area of the body healthy. A Chiropractor removes these subluxations by introducing a light force into the body to help the body return the misaligned bone to its correct position, freeing up the nerve energy and allowing it to flow to the entire body and keep the system regulated and healthy.

Doesn't a Chiropractor just specialize in treating lower back pain?

No, although very effective for treating low back pain, a Chiropractor is actually a full body doctor, trained to care for the whole person, not just the back.

How long does a Chiropractor go to school for?

A chiropractor must go through extensive schooling just to get into Chiropractic School. Most Chiropractors receive a Bachelor's Degree prior to entering Chiropractic College, so they go to school for 4 years, and then most Chiropractic College programs are year round programs that run for 3 years and 3 months. During that time they take anatomy, physiology, microbiology, physical exam, diagnosis classes, too many classes to name. They cut cadavers, do an extensive internship in a clinic setting, handle patient loads, analyze x-rays, and take more parts to boards than an actual medical doctor.

What does a Chiropractor treat?

A Chiropractor treats nothing; they focus on allowing the body to take care of itself, by freeing up the nerves to allow healing messages to get through to the tissues and organs of your body.

How can I find a Chiropractor?

You can find a Chiropractor in your local yellow pages. Just like finding a medical doctor, you need to find one that suits you. Sometimes you may have to visit one or more office and doctor to find one that you feel comfortable with.

Do all Chiropractors do the same thing?

No, some Chiropractors I have been to do different Chiropractic techniques (different ways of adjusting). My Maryland Chiropractor used a technique called BEST which I liked a lot, but I had been to several Rockville Chiropractors, and they all adjusted differently.

» security system

By China at 9:13 PM

My job here on campus for the summer is a pretty interesting training experience for the real work in the fall. I work for the university police and work as an aid to the full-time police force we have on campus. I began about a month ago and now have received all of my formal training. Now I split my time up between working a beat every other night on campus, and monitoring the surveillance cameras. Our university has a really top notch security system and a pretty wide network of security cameras. So when I am out on the beat I am being watched by someone else in the booth as I pass from screen to screen . I basically am there to pick out anything that the cameras cannot see. Right now the job is pretty dull because most of the students have left for the summer. The ones that are left all live off campus so they spend very little time on campus and almost none at night. My job till the fall is to watch for any intruders and make sure no one is destroying property or stealing anything from campus. We all also had to be trained in terrorism threats. So there are a wide list of things that may look suspicious which I have to keep my eyes out for which range from strangely parked cars and bags left in buildings. During the summer it would be much easier for me to spot something like this, but during the fall and spring everything is going to be much more difficult. I am really studying up on everything while I am not working so that I am fully prepared for the fall. When all of the students come back I have heard that our job becomes like that of a band-aid on a broken bone. There are always problems going on around campus with forty-thousand people around and there are only a handful of us making sure everything works smoothly. I really like it though and I am excited for when they come back and I get to actually handle some real world experiences and problem solving situations. For now my job is basically surveillance security and taking long walks in the dark every other night. All I have to do now is just keep awake at night and not miss anything too important before the fall comes and I really get put to the test.

» Missionary travel

By China at 7:42 PM

I have been planning the last few days for my late summer religious tours. My vacation will also include a little bit of missionary work while I have break from my tours of the holy lands. I have been planning this trip for like two years now in terms of what I want to do, but now I have finally set out to spend the money and make the commitment. I have felt wary ever since I started college of spending so much on a vacation or even for mission travel. It changed a month ago or so when I was looking at a trip web site just for fun and I looked in to missionary flights. I found out that various missionary travel sites offer church airfares. These airfares are generally less expensive for anyone who buys them because they are just larger airlines chartered specifically religious flights. I won't be going on the trip with anyone so I will be alone and with these flights that seemed to be easier. I hope the flights go well since I don't really like to fly and it is going to be a series of very long flights with a large group of people I have never met before. Long flights like this usually make me pretty sick so I don't know how I am going to handle a bunch of them all in a row like this. Hopefully the images of what will happen when we arrive will keep me motivated and excited even with motion sickness and cramped conditions. When I get there I am only going to be staying in either people's homes I have emailed or with people who own small cottages they rent out daily. I knew that even without the considerations of a very small student budget, that I wouldn't want to stay in any big places just because I feel that you don't get the full effect of a culture if you stick to the resort world. I think that it is the job of the resorts to keep you from noticing that you have gone somewhere where anything but the weather has changed. I want to be shocked, and I want to be changed.

» Luxury Sicily villas

By China at 7:05 PM

I have been researching for my future home after I graduate. I have another semester to go and I know that with a degree in fashion design that the best place to go after college would be Italy. I have been looking primarily at luxury Italy villas. I know it seems crazy to be looking at such expensive places when I have such a high level of debt and such a low level of income. When I was visiting my parents this last weekend we actually talked about places I would like to live. I was hinting the whole time that I would love to move to Italy right away and try to get a job for a big design firm somewhere. There are tons of places to get jobs over there and plenty of opportunities to fall in to something amazing. My parents could apparently tell how devoted I was to the idea of living there so they said they would help me and if needed pay for my first few months of living there. We sat down at the computer on saturday night and we talked about various places to live and we started researching by looking in to luxury sicily villas. They were impressed by the types of places they had offered there and said the homes reminded them of ever trip they had ever taken to Europe. They said we should look in to the whole of the country to see where there may be cheaper places and we looked next in to luxury Tuscany villas. They were all just amazing. I began to imagine myself making a new line of clothes in a wine country villa with the wind blowing through my house and a cup of coffee on my desk. Then we found out that there are daily ferries to Rome from Sardinia which would be a great place to work. So we finished off our research with luxury Sardinia villas which make me the most excited out of all of the places we researched. I know I still have a year left but I am already set to get out on the road and live.

» promotional gifts

By China at 8:45 PM

I love class trips especially when I get to go there, get credit for it, and leave with a bunch of free stuff. This week for our finals on thursday, the entirety of three sections of my marketing class got to go to a computer company promotional products show. This is one of those big get together where people representing various technology firms bring their newest products and show them for the first time. They also have little workshops and presentations where they show these items and giveaway promotional gifts. I really had a great time just walking around and talking to computer companies about new products and collecting logo merchandise along the way. It was really cool because this was the first time I ever felt like I had a voice in the technology hierarchy. As I walked around, people would show me products and programs and I would shoot them questions about older products which I am using right now. They would tell me about all of the new features and I would voice my concerns about the older models. I felt really great when the Microsoft reps were taking notes from what I was saying an actually taking some interest in my thoughts. I had some, what I feel are, good ideas of how they could change some of their products. Some of my suggestions were already included in new programs they were showing there, and new programs they were already working on. I may be going to far with my excitement and hope that they think about what I feel, but it was a moment where the technology movement had a human face. I just imagine that this is the way all of the other program changes came about, by users making suggestions that would really help them in their lives. So anyway now I am loaded up with tradeshow giveaway items and I am going to enjoy my summer with my Dell visor and my brand new Xerox mug while I try my best to stay outside and get away from technology. I am not going to give it entirely but I am going laugh at the irony in the situation.

» Chicago cubs tickets

By China at 8:28 PM

I have been searching everywhere on the net right now for baseball tickets. I am going on two school related business trips this summer and I really want to have fun while I am on these trips. The trips are centered around conferences in counseling and they will be really interesting for me since I only have a year left, but I do have to find some things to do for breaks in the weeks ahead. I will be splitting the time between Boston and Chicago. So I have decided that I am going to check out a couple of baseball games. It has been relatively easy to find Chicago Cubs tickets through every venue I have searched for. I know that my Chicago cub tickets will be here in the mail any day now. I waited a little too long I found to pick up the Boston Red sox tickets since it will take too long to get them in the mail. So I am going to have to order the Boston Redsox tickets through the stadium and just hope I don't forget my wallet when I leave the hotel. I have always really wanted to check out these two stadiums especially in Boston. I had to try really hard to get tickets up in the Green Monster because people always buy those ones out first since the seats are basically legendary. I have been to about five stadium so far including my Phillys new park. I am not a big fan of either team but I just can't resist a good baseball game or a chance to sit in a new stadium. This is going to be a great way to start off my summer with a couple of great conferences and hopefully four baseball games in two new stadiums. I might even decide when I am out there to check out the city a little bit. I am not usually a city person but I think these two would cool to explore. Plus I am going to do so much trash talking when the phills play chicago and I am there in the third row. It is going to be a priceless experience.

» glow necklaces

By China at 7:48 PM

Oh, how sweet that you are having the usually expected first birthday party for your little son or daughter. They won't remember one thing about it, of course, but they will enjoy the pictures and their grandparents will disown you if you don't have one. So, party supplies are pretty darned easy for this one. And party favors are totally unnecessary for this one. There will not be a need for funny hats or blow horns or glow sticks or glow necklaces. However, you better feed those party-goers. I think if you get the tiny little personal sized birthday cake for the one year old, whether you make it or buy it, that qualifies as the entertainment. But all the adults and whatever older cousins or children of family friends that attend will need a separate cake. And again, whether you make it or buy it, it needs to be cute. The food can be several kinds of finger foods as long is there is something for the little ones to enjoy also. And there is no need to serve alcohol at the birthday party of a one year old, unless Tia needs a little glass of wine and Uncle Bob is hankering for a cold beer or two. I personally would just serve some punch and/or some iced tea and call it "drinks". You will need to be sure the batteries in the video camera are fresh and new and that you have the camera(s) available for some adorable still shots. I would also suggest that if you have a large gathering, you keep the present opening to a minimum. Tiny little ones do not always enjoy unwrapping gift after gift after gift. Let them open one or two if they are up to it, and if necessary or if there is a special request from the great-grandparents to see that baby open THEIR gift, then that's totally appropriate even though you may need to assist quite a bit. The best entertainment this group of revelers will partake in won't have anything to do with those party favors, it will be watching your one year old dig into their cake and make a total frosting covered mess of themselves. It will be your favorite memory of the entire day also. You will be glad you went through the steps to bring everyone together for that very, very special occasion and everyone will be thrilled that they were attended that momentous occasion.

» Family Health insurance

By China at 9:02 PM

I think that as a country our main issue is health insurance. I don't really understand why the presidential candidates are not focusing on this more. I can barely hear or see a difference between the candidate's plans for improving health care for the poor and needy in our society.

I recently read an article that said that many of the people who are getting sick and dying young, don't have any family health insurance plan and are therefore neglecting the symptoms that they are getting until it is too late. Our government as of late has been focusing on raising the minimum wage in this country, but even at the increased rate of pay, a person could not afford health insurance for themselves, much less to pay for family health insurance. It is great, I guess, if you can get on with a big company that offers health insurance benefits to all of its employees at a reduced rate and is willing to cover your family at a good rate as well.

Unfortunately, with the failing economy something needs to be done about all the uninsured kids and adults in this country. This is a growing crisis. People can not afford medical care when they need it. They will put off going to the doctor for symptoms as long as they are not suffering too badly. Then when the symptoms get bad enough they will turn around and run to the emergency room and then not be able to pay their bill. This will just leave a bigger bill for the insurance companies of those patients that are paying. Our nation really needs to step in and provide equal medical care for all citizens of the US. We all pay our taxes and deserve as citizens of the most civilized nation in the world to have our basic need for health insurance taken care of. The medical system is mostly government run and government controlled anyway, so why can't they cut the citizens of this country a break. Many countries like Canada provide a nationalized system of health care, where everyone receives equal medical care just by being a citizen. Equal care for all should be the goal. I hate to think that our government would stand by and let people die without any regard for the importance of each and every life.

» Pet meds

By China at 7:28 PM

What did pet owners do before there were so many options for assisting their pets when they are in need of pet meds. I suppose there were known plants and herbs that were available. Actually, I suppose there still are more natural remedies than just the pet meds your veterinarian offers. I have no problem with giving my Hannah, a beautiful but smallish golden retriever, natural, more holistic foods and health care products. I just really do not know very much about them. And I honestly don't want to take a chance with something as important as heartworm medication when I live in an area that gets absolutely infested with mosquitoes every summer. And as far as fleas go, I don't want to take a chance with giving her garlic supplements or some such thing to ward off the fleas when I live in an area that has such sandy soil, where the fleas love to breed. I do give Hannah some supplements that contain garlic as well as brewer's yeast which is supposed to help her develop healthy skin and shiny fur, but I am not convinced that it is doing her much good thus far. She seems to have very sensitive skin and scratches often enough that even when I cannot find a flea on her, I know something itches! Have you ever had itchy skin for any reason? Well, it will drive you crazy if you don't get something to help you with it. You cannot sleep, you cannot think for scratching and scratching. And even though I make sure I give her whatever pet meds the vet recommends for fleas, she still scratches a lot. Recently, she had scratched one spot on her belly completely raw and scratched off all the fur. It was on her underbelly and when I did not have anything on hand from the vet over a long weekend, I used a cream that I always used on my children when they had a scrape or bug bite of minor injury of some kind. It worked like a dream and within twenty-four hours, she began to get some serious relief. I guess sometimes you just have to use common sense when you cannot get to a veterinarian and the need does not call for an emergency animal hospital. I did have to use an emergency facility once before on a weekend when my regular vet was not available and though they attempted to take care of her immediate problem, Hannah certainly did not get the special attention as she does at our veterinarian.

» chocolates

By China at 4:30 PM

Mothers day is this weekend and I am getting my gifts for all my favorite mothers. There are three special ladies in my life and all three of them are going to be getting pampered in one way or another. I just love celebrating mothers day so much that I always treat it like it is christmas and get everybody something simple and then something unique to them. All three of my special mothers will be getting a package of flowers and chocolates but I will have unique little gifts for each one. My wife for instance will be getting the bed of roses and a dinner out. After dinner we will be going toy a spa where she has a late night massage appointment. For my mother I will be getting her the chocolates and I made her a frame on campus in the art studio with a picture of her and I inside. My grandmother will be getting the chocolates and also a little figurine of an elephant. She used to live in India and the elephant has always been her favorite animal. She has a whole bookshelf covered in elephants in her living room. So now I have all of the ladies in my life taken care of. I just have to sit back and reap the rewards of satisfied family members. I love holidays. Especially ones where you just have to show you appreciate someone and they let you know how much they love you right away. I think this is a great way to start my summer off. I finish my last final on friday afternoon and then I am driving down to visit my mother and grandmother for the day. On sunday they will all be getting their gifts by delivery so I will probably get a couple of phone calls sunday afternoon too. I think that they are all going to love their gifts especially my wife because she has been talking about getting a massage for months now and just hasn't had time in her daily life. I hope all goes well with everyone else's mother's day and the appreciation is truly felt by all.

» Flowers

By China at 4:15 PM

Everyone at my house is becoming a little worn out from all of the talk of wedding plans. Ever since my daughter announced her engagement to Don, plans have been discussed non-stop. She is our only daughter so this is an experience in life I only plan on going through once. The role of Mother of the Bride is an exceptionally busy one but it's also a great deal of fun to spend all of this time planning with your daughter, future son-in-law, and other family members.

Now that the really big decisions are out of the way, we can proceed with some of the smaller details (although, at a wedding, every single thing is important). We have set the date, reserved the reception hall, and arranged for the church. My daughter and I have been shopping for her bridal gown and a decision is near. She has found two that she likes very much and an order must be placed very soon or it will not arrive in time for the wedding. No one needs a wedding gown the week after the wedding.

We are currently interviewing bands and it is fun because we've been visiting other people's weddings to listen to the music. Of course, this also gives us the opportunity to see how they decorated the reception hall, the gowns everyone is wearing, etc. This can help us in the planning of the smaller details such as centerpieces, etc.

Immediately after band selection we plan on visiting with several local florists so that we can begin flower selection. There are flowers for the church, centerpieces for the table, bouquets for the bridal party and, of course, corsages for the parents and grandparents of the bride and groom. My daughter has several ideas concerning the type of flowers she likes so I'm hoping this will be a simple process. She has chosen a particular shade of pink as her wedding color and will coordinate the flowers with this color as best she can.

When flower selection is complete, we will move onto bridesmaid's dresses, limousines, invitations, guest lists, etc. It is truly amazing how much time, energy and money goes into this one day in your life. There is probably much to be said for very small weddings but, if this is what our daughter wants, we are willing to provide it for her.

I'm sure everything will be beautiful and that this will turn out to be the "special" day she and her husband will always remember as a wonderful time in their lives.

» Auto insurance

By China at 3:27 PM

So many, many times I have wondered what would become of me if I could not afford to carry auto insurance. I love having the right to drive a car, but I also struggle to pay for that right by carrying car insurance. Once I receive a couple of auto insurance quotes, I ask my friends who they use and check out their carrier if I haven't already done so. I know it is going to be pricey even before I get the quote, so I just have to budget having it just like I budget the rest of my expenses. What I do not understand is, exactly what happens to you if you do not carry car insurance. I have heard the stories more than once about someone being in an auto accident and the other party did not even have any auto insurance. Now how can that be fair. Your carrier is either going to raise your rates or cancel you altogether and what happens to the uninsured party? Do they even get a slap on the wrist? I think they should at least have to come up with a few auto insurance quotes and let me pick one and let them pay for my car insurance. That seems fair to me. If the law requires me to pay for car insurance in order to drive, then shouldn't there be some consequence for the other person who is technically driving illegally? I could quite frankly come up with some very good and fair ideas all by myself as to what can be done to correct the situation. Maybe they could come over and clean my house until they got me paid back for being a responsible car insurance carrying member of society. I just have never been one to "color outside the lines" so to speak and it infuriates me to think that there are people out there every minute of every day that are driving around without having to take the same precautions that I have to take and follow the rules. Auto insurance does not get any cheaper the longer you have it, it continues to go up year after year after year. Even if your driving record is as clean as a whistle and you've never had anything more than a parking ticket in your entire life, your right to drive without car insurance does not disappear. You have to carry it and I have to carry it.

» Marriage counseling

By China at 8:46 PM

I have a friend who went through a very dark time in her marriage. No one ever knew it was even happening. She kept everything to herself, instead of seeking marriage counseling. She did not have to go to a professional marriage counselor, she could have seen her pastor, or at least consulted some of her Christian friends. Probably most of what she was going through was the same things we all go through, but keeping it to herself made things worse. It only built up resentment and anger and strife towards her husband. And it made me angry with him as well for how she was being treated by him. Luckily, hers was a happy ending, and I will say they are probably the happiest couple I know now. Sometimes I envy her relationship. She tells me she felt the same way back then, that her husband would never want a relationship with God or be involved in church. That she was in it alone, and had to carry the burden of raising their kids in church and go alone, and that they needed a godly man as their father. I am in the same predicament now. She tells me that I have to keep doing it on my own and eventually he will see God in me. I must say I am skeptical, but then again, have seen how her husband has done a 180, and suppose it is possible. I am not saying I need marriage help or someone to help save my marriage. Things are fine, but could always be better. These are the few things that I desperately want, but the few things that I cannot make happen on my own. It is very hard raising children as well as you should, and we make mistakes, I know. I just don't want to scar my children, and I want them to have good examples of marriage and relationships. I mean, I think of my behavior affecting who they choose to marry, and how they will behave as husbands and fathers. It is must more of a challenge than most people put thought in to. Sometimes I contemplate getting marriage counseling, just to see what I may not be doing right, or as a tune up to my marriage.