Autism Awareness

I was reminded today about the struggles of the many families who has a child diagnosed with Autism. There are families who are your friends who are parents of Autistic Children that share their struggle silently.

There's a video with a song from the band, Five for Fighting, which shows an incredibly moving and powerful video about Autism. You don't need to donate money. Just watch the video and money is donated to www.autismspeaks.org.

Victory Vipers

I was exposed to an activity that I previously had no idea existed. When my kids, Hunter and Haley, were into their activities, it was things like fishing, hunting, sports, horses, etc. Then when they both chose to try “Irish Dancing”, I thought that was an unusual activity. However, Rhonda, took me to her daughter, Kayleigh’s, sport. It was a world of competition that I didn’t even know existed and I was unsure of what to expect. It's also huge in Texas and I'm sure you're wondering what it could be... Well, it's called… Cheer Competitions. From about the age of 2 thru 18, kids can join this action packed, competitive and complicated sport. It's not just yelling cheers... it involves stunts, tumbling and tossing other cheerleaders high into the air. The cheerleaders that go flying through the air are called, as the name suggest, Flyer's. I learned an entire new language after watching over 3 hours of competition. These girls practice hard. 5-6 times a week, 2 hours a night for 5-6 months, preparing for the competitions. Dedication brings Championships. Kayleigh’s team is called the “Victory Vipers”. During this event, they took 1^st place at the Cheer Power Competition in Houston, Texas!

Travel Challenge IQ

Here's an addictive challenge, "Traveler IQ Challenge". Good Luck. I'm not going to share with you the level I reached. However, keep in mind that since I travel for a living, and have been to most of these countries... oh well, you get the point. ;)