New Jersey Baby Boomer

Today I received an email from someone who is sponsoring a race for Breast Cancer in the South Jersey area at Six Flags Great Adventure  I checked out the links, and went to the main site for the organization, and it appears to be a great cause, here’s the information…you may want to contact Robin before donating if you have any questions:

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and I am making a difference. I recently accepted the challenge to participate in the Race for the Cure at Six Flags Great Adventure on Sunday October 5, 2008. I hope you will join me in the in the fight against breast cancer. The more the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central and South Jersey Affiliate can give back to fund vital breast cancer education and screening programs in our own community and support the national search for a cure.

Please join me in the fight by pledging in support of my participation in the Race or contributing generously to the New Jersey Race for the Cure Your tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for medically under-served communities in Central and South Jersey and national breast cancer research. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below.

Whatever you can give will help! I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer! Every step counts!

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a click-able link, you can visit the web address:
http://events.komencsnj.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1199875&pg=personal&fr_id=1020&et=0l88HOY1yJIA-LBExRP65w..&s_tafId=4002

It’s a great pleasure to be part of this wonderful group of women, and at the center of the group is Beverly Mahone, where would we be without her!! I want to share some of a press release with you, and since I’ll just bet Beverly will find her way over here sometime soon, want to thank her for ALL that she has done for us! THANK YOU BEVERLY!! And fellow Diva’s that may stop by, ((((hugs)))) to you all!

They’re known as Baby Boomer Divas—women over 40 who are on the move and making a difference in their personal and professional lives. This month the group celebrates its one year anniversary. The idea to create a Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame came from baby boomer author and expert Beverly Mahone who says, “This was my way to honor baby boomer women who were doing great things at midlife but weren’t getting their deserved recognition.

So what is a DIVA? According to Mahone, she’s a baby boomer woman who’s Divinely, Inspired, Vivacious and Anointed.

Mahone says the Divas are all very talented women who come from very diverse backgrounds around the globe. “We come from all walks of life and different races and are eager to share our knowledge and resources. We’ve had a few bumps in the road and some detours but we continue to persevere. Mahone adds that in addition to a global presence, they are also honored to have celebrities like actresses Debbie Zipp and Bern Nadette Stanis who are active members and want to offer their assistance in helping them grow.

Since its inception, the Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. Mahone says the Web of Fame is now officially known as Boomer Diva Nation—a nonprofit organization that provides a variety of resources to assist fellow boomer women in their endeavors. It’s also a place where women can network

Mahone anticipates the groups continued growth over the coming year. “Who would’ve ever thought last year that something called the Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame would turn into what it is today?”

Stop by and visit Baby Boomer Diva Nation today!

Every year, one county to the west of us, the New Jersey State Fair takes place. It’s also known as the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show. This brings out for all to see the “Country” part of our State, highlighting the farming industry that still exists in many parts of the Garden State.  This includes our agriculture, (what better corn is there than Jersey Corn, and Jersey tomatoes are great as well) and farm animals. There are 4H Club exhibits with farm animals, horse shows, concerts, carnivals, lots of vendors, and so much more. It’s a great thing to do with your family. This has been going on annually for years, I remember taking my own children.

I’d suggest you take a look at the calendar of events (starts August 1st) as it develops over the coming weeks, there’s already a lot posted, and plan your day around the events you want to see. During times when there are no events, there are plenty of vendors, and if you and your children like rides, there’s the carnival. It’s a busy place, so chose your times to visit to suit your likes and dislikes. You can find out more by visiting the official website for the New Jersey State Fair.

Comment if you’ve ever been to the fair and let us know what your favorite attraction was.

Yesterday was Father’s Day, and like many, we decided to visit my Dad’s grave. The weather was cloudy and rainy at the time when we visited, and because of it the balloons that were brought to decorate graves were bowing more than standing tall. Dad was buried in October of 2005, 2+ years ago, and I miss him still. The night before Father’s Day my daughter visited her Dad, we had a lot of laughs, and also a few tears. I started talking a bit about the day he died, and she drew more out of me than I thought I’d share. He died at home in the bed that he shared with my Mom for over 50 years, I was staying with Mom because we knew the time was close, and was able to be with him at the end, which, even though he had been ill for over 5 years, still seemed to come suddenly.

As I stood next to his grave at the beautiful, peaceful George Washington Memorial Park graveyard, I thanked the Lord that Dad was now with Him; and as my husband and I tried everything we could to get the balloons to stand rather than bow, I laughed and said “Dad, if you can see us, you see we’re trying to figure things out, just like you did with every little thing”…Dad was a brilliant engineer.

Below is a statue that I love that is at the entrance to the Cemetery of George Washington on bended knee with head bowed in prayer. It is better seen “in person” as it is a large statue, and beautifully detailed. The side view is even better than this, maybe next time I’ll capture that…my husband took this one quickly in the rain.

I hope all of you had a special day yesterday remembering your Dad’s, enjoying your Dad’s, or watching your children enjoy their Dad’s.

We just got home from our local commemoration of this great day in the center of our town of West Milford at our war memorial. I am sure, at least hope, this is being repeated in many towns across the USA. Sitting in front of me was a frail but wonderful WWII Veteran. Sitting front and center were 2 families of our most recent casualties…I don’t like that word, I mean our most recent heroes to give their lives in Iraq. It was special to simply be able to shake a hand, give a hug to a tearful family member, to say “thank you” knowing that there were no words that could take away the pain. We thank those who have served our Nation and paid the ultimate price. Also remembered were local heroes who died in the attack on 911, names that many know nationwide from our area, like Father Mychael F. Judge who left our local catholic church to be a Chaplain for the NY City Fire Department, the image of his body being carried from the World Trade Center ruins now impressed in the minds of many, among the first if not the first victim we heard about after the attack. And Jeremy Glick, a hero of United Airlines Flight 93. So many more names that we must never forget. My son took a few pictures, one shown above.

Now, what has become my favorite patriotic song with wonderful images to stir the heart to remember, and thank you not just to NJ heroes, but all of our heroes all over the USA:

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

In the margin, you’ll see a list of “Boomer Diva Nation” friends, some of those friends are going to be part of Teleseminars that are of particular interest to baby boomers.

Mark your calendars for the following dates:

Thursday, May 22 at noon EST:
Fearless Fifties Advocate/Author Jacqueline Wales on BlogTalk Radio:
Ten Secrets to Taking Fear Out of Your Life

Thursday, June 12 at noon EST:
Life Coach Eileen Williams BlogTalk Radio:
Reinventing Yourself at Midlife

Thursday evening, June 12 at 8pm EST:
Boomer Blogger Rosie Horner:
Making the Most of Your Online Presence

These are part of a series of Teleseminars, please read more about it, and sign up at http://www.talk2bev.com.

I’m older than I was, and I’m an American, does this mean I fit into the criteria to be taking Older Americans Month seriously? The following was taken from U.S. Administration on Aging site, a page dedicated to the observance of “Older Americans Month“, after you read this you may want to visit the site, it has a lot of great resources:

We celebrate older Americans and their families by praising their contributions to our country. We also celebrate and express our gratitude to the countless number of dedicated health and human service professionals, scientists and volunteers that work with or on behalf of elders in communities across the country every day.

As a nation we are beginning to experience in “real time” the aging of our population with the first wave of Baby Boomers beginning to turn 65 now and building the ranks of the 78 million Baby Boomers into the future. We have a unique opportunity to address these changing demographics and some of the solutions are right in front of us.

Well I’m not a 65 Baby Boomer, but if you switch the numbers, you’ve got my age, a 1951 born boomer. Maybe this is a good month to look around us at those who are older than we are and thank them for the good they have done. Maybe it’s a good month to look ahead a bit and make sure that we’ve planned for the days to come, and if the picture doesn’t look so bright right now, may the fact that this is the National Day of Prayer turn our focus toward a God who loves us and promises to provide our needs, maybe not everything we want, but our needs.

Now don’t think I’m being pious here, I have spent more than my share of time looking at our little home, wishing it was bigger, wishing we hadn’t become victims of the job loss epidemic for a time so that we had minimal income and had to pay COBRA to keep our medical insurance alive…wishing, wishing, wishing. Then one day I was blind-sided while listening to a Bible reading on CD from Matthew 26, and realized that I really do have everything I need. I’m warm, I have cloths, I have a refrigerator stuffed with food, the COBRA saved us a lot of money because hubby had a heart attack while unemployed, he’s doing great now, my son just got a job in his field after a long time looking, my daughter and her husband are happily married, yes, there are lots of things that could be better, but there’s lots more to be thankful for.