National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Who knew? Up until 8:30 a.m. this morning I had never heard of National Chocolate Chip Cookie day, but thanks to my enthusiastic assistant I am now in the know.

In honor of this day and our efforts to increase our social media activity at work we launched a little celebration in honor of this gooey day. The good new is – it worked, it was a very popular post on our Facebook page and most importantly for me, I sat down over the last few minutes to share this post.

So, did you know this day existed? What did you do to celebrate?

Well, let’s help each other celebrate next year – share your favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and if you’re not the baker in the family, just share your favorite brand.

I’m not a baker and not a huge fan of Chocolate Chip Cookies, but when I have one that I enjoy you can bet it has nuts in it because that’s the way I like my chocolate. Today, I tried the Doubletree Hotel cookie and found it very enjoyable. Soft, gooey and chock full of walnuts!

I would love to hear from you, so won’t you join this conversation by leaving me a comment?

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in this space soon!

Working through Life’s Frustrations

Have you ever had a day when it seemed that everything you touched fell apart? I’m sure you have – well I’ve been having one of those days for that last two days!

Unwilling to let the chaos that has become my life take over I continue to push forward and try to make sense out of the stumbling blocks placed in front of me. Today was moving along smoothly when one obstacle after the other was thrown into my path, but I stood strong and said I would not let them defeat or define my day!

Affirmations like that don’t always work, but today I received the perfect gift to aid me in finding solace while cloaked in chaos. This wonderful tea set, came complete with tea and rock sugar.

A tea lovers delight
My new Tea Pot…friendships are wonderful!

This gift was as much a symbol of friendship as it was a sign to take my current work “tea pot” home for a good scrubbing. Now this doesn’t mean it never gets washed it just means that it has seen A Lot of black tea and it shows!

Tea Lab
James the Tea Technician prepares an afternoon beverage for yours truly.

The barriers and obstacles seeking to upend my spirits apparently weren’t aware of the team of supporters I have amassed, because not thirty minutes after receiving the wonderful gift shown above I received a call about a new shop aptly called “Tea Lab” where I can get all of the best tea ware along with delicious flavors.

So there you have it, the perfect way to work through life’s frustration – a nice cup of tea!

**Note this was written on Monday and as a sign of how frightful this week has been – I just got around to posting today!

Water Safety & Swimming Lessons

Remembering Kaelin M. Hampton

Annual Fundraiser This Saturday

Kaelin M. Hampton, gone too soon!
Kaelin M. Hampton, gone too soon!

Summer is coming to a screeching halt and the pool parties, beach visits will soon end but it’s never too late to think about water safety and swimming lessons. Today, I’m going to remind you once again about the importance of swimming lessons and learning how to be safe around water.

Did you know that every day about ten people loose their lives to unintentional drowning and of that number two of them are children younger than 14. Unfortunately I know all too well the pain associated with loosing a young child to unintentional drowning and a couple of times a year I use this space to remind others of the importance of water safety.

Join us for the 4th Annual Kaelin M. Hampton Foundation Bowling Fundraiser at The New Southgate Lanes, 21400 Southgate Park Blvd from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. this Saturday, August 17, 2003. Admission is $10 and includes unlimited bowling, shoes, one hot dog, chips and a drink.

All of the proceeds support our efforts to provide free swimming lessons and water safety to under served and underprivileged youth. We partner with the YMCA to offer these classes year round.

Please help support our efforts, but most importantly ensure that you and your children are aware of how to be safe around water and how to swim.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the following on how big the problem is:

  • From 2005-2009, there were an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States — about ten deaths per day. An additional 347 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents.2
  • About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.2 For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.1
  • More than 50% of drowning victims treated in emergency departments (EDs) require hospitalization or transfer for further care (compared with a hospitalization rate of about 6% for all unintentional injuries).1,2  These nonfatal drowning injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state).3,4

Most at risk are males – 80% of people who die from drowning are male; children ages 1 to 4 and minorities. In the four year period between 2005 and 2009 the unintentional drowning rates for African Americans was significantly higher than whites according to the CDC.

So come out and support our event this Saturday, or make a donation to the Kaelin M. Hampton Foundation.