3/50 Project

Main street American's could use your help. I've long been a supporter of home town businesses. I still run to the hardware store a few blocks away even though we have a couple of the big box stores in town. The local hardware guys have been there through thick and thin. They still call you by name, and answer questions about that dohickey thingy I'm trying to explain to them.

They're part of home town businesses. Along with the local florist, the small cafe across the way. We need to remember when we spend money in their establishments, it stays in the community.

That's where 3/50 comes in.

The 3/50 Project is founded on these principles:

Think about which three independently owned stores you'd miss if the were gone. Stop in and say hello. Pick up a little something that will make someone smile. Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around.

If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month in independently owned stores, their purchases would generate $42,629,700,000 in revenue.* Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of employed Americans did that.

For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 of it returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.

The number of people it takes to start a trend...you.

Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy.

Like this idea? Share it with others by going to the 3/50 Project website and registering as a supporter. Pick up a few badges for your websites, counters, or flyers for your neighbors.

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34 years ago today...

I walked into the temple and married my one true love! Both of us were almost 22 years old, yet still ready to make a lifelong commitment to loving each other. We've succeeded so far! We've raised three daughters, seen four new grandchildren enter the fold and have the best English Bulldog granddog ever! Our sons-in-law are really great guys that we are so proud to have in the family. It's crazy to think of all the things we've done together, knowing most people going in never thought it would last.

Some of the things happening around the world thirty four years ago:

Gerald Ford was president. He tripped and fell a lot. Then he retired a stone's throw from here. His wife opened a HUGE drug and alcohol recovery center in Palm Springs.

The merchant ship U.S. Mayaguez was recaptured from Cambodia's Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge did not lose power in Vietnam until the birth of our first child some three years later in 1978.

The Vietnam war was coming to an end. Saigon had fallen just a few short days ago, April 30th. War was on all our minds. Edited to add: How strange is it that the photographer, Hugh Van Es, a Dutch photojournalist who covered the Vietnam War and recorded the most famous image of the fall of Saigon in 1975 — a group of people scaling a ladder to a CIA helicopter on a rooftop — died this morning?

Trini Lopez, Laini Kazan, Paul Rudd, Emmitt Smith and Brian Eno were celebrating birthdays. Frank Zappa's son turned one.

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals 4 to 2.

Junko Tabei was almost to the top of Mt. Everest. She became the first woman to ever reach the top on May 16th.

Inflation was on the rise: As quoted by consumer reporter: "I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, its going to be impossible to buy a weeks groceries for $20.00." I remember the first weeks worth of groceries I bought for us as a newlywed couple was $10 a bag. I bought three bags worth of groceries.

Gasoline was 65 cents a gallon.

Freddie Prinze was starring in Chico and the Man.

May 15th, 1975 was a Thursday.

We ate lunch, after our wedding at McDonalds on Santa Monica Blvd. We met Jack Carter the actor there. I have his autograph.

The number one song that day was a Tony Orladndo and Dawn song called He Don't Love You (Like I Love You). I don't even remember the song!

Our song was Day after Day by Badfinger. It was released the month we began dating in 1971. We are still that cheesy couple that has to make eye contact and smile when we hear it on the radio. Yes, my heart still skips a beat.

I was wearing a wrap skirt and yellow french t and sandals. He was in his navy seafarers denims and a 70s style polo shirt (not an Izod)and Frye boots. We had changed in anticipation of the reception later (didn't want to have to press my dress again). At the reception I was in my gown with a fully beaded bolero (hand beaded by my mom) and he was in a tux with top hat and tails. It was a crack up. My attendants were my sisters, a cousin, and a friend from high school. His attendants were guys he knew from church.

My colors were white and (Navy)blue. The flowers were bachelor buttons for their lovely blue and white roses. I carried a single white rose for my bouquet. One love - one rose. I wanted my attendants in navy dresses but my mother would have none of it. She stated it was to funereal for a wedding. Yeah, I got in to FIDM (didn't attend, that's a regret!) because of my sense of fashion, but what did I know? They ended up in cream colored dresses with small blue flowers. Just one of the compromises between my mother and I.

Our reception was held the same day. We had over 400 guests present. There was a full buffet dinner with a five tiered cake and seven satellite cakes in all different flavors. I got the bite of cake my groom served me. The rest was eaten by guests. We were at the reception until 10 p.m. The next day we went to Disneyland. Our real honeymoon wasn't until three weeks later.

We climbed into our 1966 Volkswagen Van and camped throughout Utah and Idaho for three weeks, rarely sleeping in the same city for a night. It was a great western adventure. We had a blast! Waking up to see the sunrise in Zion National Park was beautiful. Then seeing the clear blue water of Bear Lake in Idaho a few days later was awesome. I had never seen a lake with such clarity in my life. Wow.

I was working at Alpha Beta, a grocery store, as a clerk/bookkeeper. He was in college and working part time but I can't remember where. He was in a band. He's a bassist.

We've made our own little history in these 34 years. Let's hear it for another 34! I'm up for it sweetie, how about you? (he says "I should live so long!")

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C is for Congratulations!

We are at the fulfillment of hard work and dreams today. The culmination of many hours of study and prayer and just plain hard worked have come together. Today the ceremonies of graduation begin for our son-in-LAW Alan. He is graduating with his Juris Doctorate from Washington and Lee University. Alan received his walking stick just a few hours ago. Tomorrow he'll walk with his class and receive his diploma. Sunday they begin their journey back to California!

We could not be prouder. Alan and his wife forsook all family and comfort of being close to everyone they knew to pursue his degree in the small town of Lexington, Virginia. Together they set the goal, and together they accomplished it. All while adding two small children to their family.

Congratulations Alan! Congratulations Smith family!

We are glad they will be returning home to California to take the bar and then join a firm here. It's not in our city (thank goodness!) but in a wonderful beach side community a bit north of here.

We are filled with glee awaiting their arrival. Most of all we are happy that Alan is Alan. He's such a great guy, we love him so much. (I must say the fact that he and I can enjoy a good piece of chocolate together really makes me happy!) Here's to the next few years of more goals and fun things for the Smith family!

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High School Meme

I saw a meme about high school memories. Being that I don't have a facebook account, just so I wont have to reunite with "friends" from high school I thought I'd give this meme a try. I went to two high schools the first being my favorite and I will always be a pirate at heart. It was the closest thing to having a hometown experience ever. Then my parents took that away by moving to the "country". I refer to that period as the time our teen lives ended. Thank goodness for my brother, or I'd have never met anyone after that point.

1. Did you date someone in high school? At the first high school(OHS) I had several crushes. One of them I would have died and gone to heaven if he'd have asked me out( again a best friend of my bro's). However I couldn't date until I was sixteen and that put me at the new high school(HHS), so no dating at OHS unfortunately. Because if I could have gone out with the OHS crush I could possibly be married to a record producer who is quasi famous right now! Yeah like that little fantasy would have come true. At HHS I did date a couple of my brother's friends - sorry Randy, I really didn't mean to call you by the wrong name! But then I met the bass player and fell in love forever.

2. What kind of car did you drive? For the first two years of high school it was the city bus. Then I hitched a ride from my bro who got to drive the various forms of cars my family owned (Rambler, Corvair, 50s style ford we name el cruzerio, a near dead karmen ghia, all from the scrap heap). I actually refused to get a driver's license until I was 17 because I didn't want to drive any of them. I was a car snob even back then. Well hey, maybe that's why! There's nothing like sitting on a dark country road at 14 watching your car burn to the ground while knowing you were supposed to be at a very important meeting of teen aged girls. Yeah, that's just one of the cars we owned. Not a nice car in the bunch. Once I started dating the bass player I got to drive his car. Then I finally got my own, a little turquoise 65 VW bug. I wish I still owned it.

3. Did you pass your driver’s license test the first time? Yep. Just barely. Being the sister of the "I taught myself to read at three" child prodigy I had no desire or ability to score a perfect 100 on both the written and driving portions like him. However a 70 was passing the driving part, and you could miss 5 questions on the written, and I did just that! No need to have a halo I figured. Just give me the keys to my bug and I'm happy!

4. Were you a party animal? Oh no. I was and still am a social nit wit - my family moved about every 8 months as I was growing up, I didn't develop any social skills to save my life! Oh well life goes on. When all the other kids were experimenting with drugs in the 70s I was just trying to get my eyeliner on in one thing line. Gave that up eventually also. I was a nature girl it was the early 70s.

5. Were you considered a flirt? Still am. It's weird but the husband says I'm a flirt. hmmm. didn't know I was.

6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? ugh. at OHS I wanted to be on the dance squad. However, that was my goal for Junior year. Until we moved to FFA headquarters, HHS, that year - well actually half way through my sophmore year. I had to choose an elective so I once again followed my brother into choir. UGH. The only thing close to that being a great choice (I couldn't sing!) was at lunch my senior year I met a friend of my brother's who was in Chamber Singers (the best of the best of the best group) who was also in a rock band. It was kismet. Yes, nature girl (tiny dancer) met her musician and made my mother crazy at the same time!

7. Were you a nerd? No I'm classified as a social nitwit (see question 5).

8. Were you on any varsity teams? what's varsity? Oh yeah that was for boys. Girls were still considered the weaker sex back then. I liked running. Girls were not allowed on formal track teams back than. Yes, I'm old.

9. Did you ever get suspended or expelled? Oh did I tell you I have amazing powers of blaming all my corrupt little actions on others? I learned it when I was seven (just ask my sisters about the spanking nap time incident) and by high school it was a well honed skill. I never got into any trouble.

10. Is there anything you wish you would have done or participated in during high school, but didn’t? Yes, the DANCE TEAM!! I'm not bitter though. Not at all.

11. Who were your favorite teachers? Mr. Taylor. He was the best foreign language teacher ever.

12. Where did you sit at lunch? At OHS we had open campus so at the Sizzler across the street, mostly. It still cracks me up that at a high school in a beach city - you know like four blocks from the beach - we had open campus! Then we the transition to HHS where we were only close to farms and drug traffickers, we had a closed campus. I just hung out around the quad watching kids traffic their favorite drugs of choice. I once saw a girl hide a tab of acid from the dealer she was talking to when he dropped it. He was so out of it himself he didn't even notice it was gone. Please note the fact that I was a social nitwit and had no intention of engaging in a conversation with either of them about what just went down. You would have thought the school at the beach had available drugs everywhere - no, they were around I'm sure - but the country school was where the pharmacy was running like a well oiled machine.

13. School mascot: OHS - Pirates!!!! HHS, bulldog. Name me one person who'd rather be a dog than a pirate!

14. School colors: Green and White!!! Red and gold and white

15. Did you go to homecoming and who with? Um. no. Dances accompanied by your brother don't count.

16. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Not on your life.

17. What do you remember most about graduation? Oh just that I coudln't believe that we were having it outdoors in the middle of the afternoon in the middle of June. I got heat stroke just before the procession and ended up having to walk into the outdoor arena by myself. Yeah that was fun. Oh and our senior song was Imagine because we were cool like that.

18. Where did you go on Senior Skip Day? It was called Senior Ditch Day, and no it really didn't exist - according to the faculty - but I decided to go to the beach. It was the best day at HHS!

19. Were you in any clubs? Yep. I'm a joiner. I was the president of the French club.

20. Have you gained weight since then? Oh yeah. I've gone from ribbon as a nickname to oh wow that's you??!!

21. Who was your prom date? We were too cool for prom. I was dating a bass player in a real live band. He made music, he didn't dance to it!

22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? hehehe that came and went a long time ago. If it had been for OHS definitely yes, but the HHS one no, and never will go to one.

23. Did you have a job while in high school? Yes, of course. Fast food. Then I moved on to bigger and better and got a job in a camera store. That was the best and the beginning of one of my true loves. Photography. Thank you Mr. Holt!

24. Worst class? I still don't know what n stands for.

25. Favorite class? French! and geometry, go figure.

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