So, I found this online at the  Lake Superior State University’s webpage of “banished” Words and Phrases for 2009. They include

Green, going green or anything remotely associated with the “green” term, ie; building green, greening, green technology. ( I say lighten up ppl it’s just a term.. deal with it)

Carbon Footprint/Carbon Offsetting.. A scam period end of story, we as humans cannot possibly change our “footprint” it is what it is.

The presidential election was ripe for language abuse, on their list

Maverick, super delegates, First Dude.. all banished until at least 2016

Bailout.. you bailout your cousin, not a corporation

Wall Street to Main Street. hmm, last I checked the problems that affect and effect the failings of the financial  Wall Street are not limited to Main Street. What about Maple, Oak and Antioch?

Adding the term “monkey” to any phrase,, ie, internet “monkey”, banking “monkey”, you get the idea

<3 this is supposed to resemble a heart, or stand for the word “love”,, ummm I don’t see it apparently I don’t text enough.. I think we should just say the word instead of turning our heads in uncomfortable positions to figure it out. :-]

Icon or Iconic.. overused by hollywood to the point of wretch, Everyone and everything cannot be “iconic” this word has become the new “awesome”.. totally dude

Game Changer.. umm, yeah,, it’s been way overused banished for at least a decade

Staycation.. take a vacation or stay home one or the other,,

Desperate Search.. news media uses this to further insult our and their intelligence, they are always on a “desperate search” to find something newsworthy

Not So Much.. I love Jon Stewart and his comedy, but his haircut.. not so much,, see what I mean

Winner of Five Nominations.. you can’t win a nomination, you’re either the winner, or you’ve been nominated..

Its That Time Of Year Again… it’s always that time of year again.

Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas has come and gone, with great fanfare this year at my house at it was the first with DS Jake, he looked pretty awesome in his Santa Suit Onesie and I’ll get a picture up here in a day or two. It was a very emotional day for me as I really miss my Mom and Dad (they were basking in the Arizona Sun 72 and sunny), but seriously  the day brought back so many fond memories of Christmas past that I admit I did shed a tear or two.

As we look back on the year, let’s remember that with every new year well, it’s a new beginning, another trip around the sun to help those in need, tend to the sick, help the elderly in your family and in your neighborhood. We all will have challenges this coming year, and I guarantee the sun will come up everyday and that means that we have another chance to make a difference in some-one’s life.

Happy New Year!

What Love means to a 4-8 year old.. .
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes.
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds,
‘What does love mean?’
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:

‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love..’
Rebecca- age 8

‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’
Billy - age 4

‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’
Karl - age 5

‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’
Chrissy - age 6

‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’
Terri - age 4

‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’
Danny - age 7

‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that.. They look gross when they kiss’
Emily - age 8

THIS IS MY FAVORITE!
‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,’
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.’
Noelle - age 7

‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’
Tommy - age 6

‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’
Cindy - age 8

‘My mommy loves me more than anybody You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night..’
Clare - age 6

Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’
Elaine-age 5

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’
Chris - age 7

‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’
Mary Ann - age 4

‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’
Lauren - age 4

‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’ (what an image)
Karen - age 7

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’
Mark - age 6

‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’
Jessica - age 8

And the final one

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
‘Nothing, I just helped him cry’

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Friends

Now you can find out just where the Jolly Old Fat Man is here’s the link__Santa Tracker

As I was walking into Walmart the other day, the Salvation Army Bell ringers were battleing the elements and lots of people were just walking by without even a glance at the man ringing the small little bell, holding the doors open for the patrons as they trudged in to gaze in wonder at the spectacle that Christmas has become.

As I made my way in to pick up a couple of things in the grocery department, I glanced down at a 4 year old, who was reaching into his little plastic wallet, I stopped and watched as he dumped his change from the little wallet into the bucket, dimes, nickels and pennies fell into that small red bucket and as he  smiled at the man and waved his mittened hand as he and his mother walked inside I couldn’t help but tell myself this is the real meaning of Christmas and this year you and I should both empty our change into the bucket.

Do you use Twitter?. It asks one simple question. “What are you doing right now?” I bet your kids do and your co-workers too, it’s a social networking site that is all the rage. You can signup for free and if you want to try it, or if you are already on Twitter, you want to follow me? Follow Taylor on Twitter. You can join for free, and if you have a Wordpress blog, you can add a widget to your blog that will update it when you use Twitter. It’s very cool, just a little holiday gift from me to you.

When Larry Stewart passed away last year I was saddened but at the same time, he paved the way for Secret Santas everywhere to continue to bless people in all walks of life. Every year (for the past 11 anyway) I’ve played Santa for my nieces and nephews, handing out presents, and generally making them all very happy children and as they grow older it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to keep them guessing ( I am pretty convincing as the Jolly old fat man!).

But my point is this, you don’t need to dress up in a red suit to make someones Christmas a happy one, all it takes is to care, to give and to love. This year I invite YOU to be a Secret Santa to someone, anyone, yes even a stranger. You can’t imagine how much joy you can bring someone by just being kind, giving what you can, volunteering in your church, the homeless shelters, or any where.  One simple act of kindness goes a long way, it will make you a better person and someone will never ever forget you. I’m so thankful I have a loving wife, a beautiful baby boy, family and I get to talk to you everyday.

I got an email from my brother yester day and this is what it said, you may have seen it before, but if you haven’t …..
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn’t get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to Sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats,booster seats, seat belts or air bags Riding in the back of a pick up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren’t overweight. WHY? Because we were always outside, playing…. that’s why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill; only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Play stations, Nintendo’s and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on Cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and Not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them? CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors,doesn’t it?

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno: ‘With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides,flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?’
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving and A Joyous MERRY CHRISTMAS with family and friends
God Bless

This is a really special year for my family as we get to celebrate it with our newborn son Jake. I can’t wait to put up the tree, and see his expressions as the lights are flipped on for the first time. Over the years I’ve collected hundreds of antique ornaments, mostly from the 40’s and 50’s and early 60’s gleened them from flea markets in small towns, to garage sales here in the metro. It’s the best part for me to decorate a tree, put up the tinsel, turn the lights down low and bask in the dimly lit living room as we listened to our favorite Christmas music on the radio and it was always a dream to someday give my son, what my folks gave me…. Hope.
The undivided attention and the happiness that came from the looks on my brothers and sisters faces when they opened that special gift from Santa is what I yearn for in the years to come. This year brings special meanings to a lot of families as the commercialism of the holiday wanes and traditionalism takes over.
This year I invite you to make some popcorn strings, home made ornaments from popsicle sticks and yarn (surely you remember those?) and give to a charity of your choice this year if you can. Adopt a Family this year, it not only will make you feel good, it will help someone who is just not going to have the means to provide for a Happy Holiday this year. I hope that the coming year finds all of us in good health and provides us with the means to support our families.

Halloween came to our place this year and it was pretty special as this was Jacobs First.Really, he does get plenty to eat.