A complicated Family

Every family has it's own story, some crazier and more complicated than others. My family is certainly on the complicated side. When I was three years old my father passed away of bladder cancer, leaving my mom to take care of me and my two brothers. When I was in first grade I met a girl named Krystal and we became instant best friends. She also had two brothers and a dad who had divorced when she was only two.

To make a long story short, we convinced our parents to get married (after a few years of hard work) and it totally worked. So at nine I was now one of six children. As much as I would love to say that everything went smoothly from there, things actually got more complicated (I know you are surprised). There were lots of fights over who was being spoiled and who was being annoying. All of this changed my life so much. I love my family, all of them, no matter how crazy we all are. The thing that changed my life the most about my family happened only about 5 years ago now.

On February 27, 2005 my parents woke up me, my step-sister, my two older brothers, and my younger step-brother unusually early. I remember the look on my dad's face. My mom could barely speak as the words forced their way out of her mouth. My older step-brother, someone I had known as family since I could remember, committed suicide in Oklahoma where he had recently taken residence with his birth mother. The loss of him changed my family forever, and not a day goes by that I don't think about him.

The Runaways Review

Set in the 1970's, the movie is about the first ever all girl rock band, started by Joan Jett, played by the Twilight saga star Kristin Stewart and her New Moon costar Dakota Fanning who plays fifteen year old lead singer Cherie Currie.



Following the short life of the band, the movie depicts the main theme of the seventies; sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but not all of their lifestyle is glamorous. Between the alcohol, drugs, and drama the band fell apart not long after they started. Joan Jett did not let this stop her from becoming famous as a solo act.

The film is entertaining for most audiences, however may not be suited for children. The best part of this movie is the theater it is playing at.



If you are looking for something to do this Friday night, head down to Red River Theaters in the heart of Concord and see it yourself.

Finally

So basically blogger.com does not like what I have to say. I am hoping this time I can actually to post my blog! At first I thought it was probably a technical problem, but now I am starting to think it is personal. Perhaps it finds me offensive? Who knows.... It looks like it is actually going to work this time. I finally won this battle. It's about freaking time!

Crazy About Cakes Grand Opening!

Wednesday March 10th, at 9:00am, Crazy About Cakes celebrates its grand opening at 400 Commercial Street in Manchester. There will be free samples and baking lessons this week only. Additional information is available on our website, www.crazyaboutcakes.com.



The first 100 customers will be entered into a drawing, first prize will win a free cake of their choice and a $200.00 gift certificate, second prize will win free baking lessons for two, and third prize will receive a $50.00 gift certificate. For other deals and specials visit our website at www.crazyaboutcakes.com.

Vote for your favorite flavor and have the chance to win a cake! On March 10th only, vote for your favorite cake, cheese cake, or ice cream cake flavor and if you favorite wins, you could win a free sheet cake. Can't make it in? Don't worry, you can vote online at our website www.crazyaboutcakes.com.



To see flavors, designs, or other contests please visit our website www.crazyaboutcakes.com. Coupons are also available for a limited time online.

Crazy About Cakes

For my business, I am starting a specialty cake bakery called Crazy About Cakes. It will be located on Commercial Street in Manchester, just a few doors down from UNHM. The bakery will be a small family-owned business with a large potential for growth and expansion in the future.

At Crazy About Cakes we will specialize in specialty cheese cakes, ice cream cakes, and special occasion cakes. Not only do you get the most delicious dessert treats but the best service you could ask for. We will be delivering seven days a week from 7:00am-8:00pm. Although we suggest that you special order our cakes, we always have cakes ready to go for those of us who forgot to plan ahead.

We will also be offering cake baking classes through UNH for the students and faculty. You can think of it as the sweetest class you could ever take! At the end of the classes, students will also be given the opportunity to work at the bakery full or part time.

Hang Your Hat

"Hang Your Hat" by artist Lisa Rae Winant

Image used by permission of the artist

37 x 10 / oil on panel

From the outside it may not look like much, but it is home, she thought to herself. It was a long trip and she was relieved to be home for the first time in over two weeks. Even though her feet were throbbing, covered with blisters from her work shoes and it seemed like every joint in her body felt as if they were ready to give out and her body would collapse underneath her, she just stood and admired her home.

Sure, it was not the mansion she imagined herself in, but it is better than nothing. Besides, this home has gotten her through some really though times. It has always kept her warm when the bitter crisp air of winter nights struck. Staring at her home from the edge of the road, she wondered if this would be her home for the rest of her life. It seems like no matter how hard she works, it seems she just can not save for a bigger place.

She imagined what it would be like to smell something other than dirt and mothballs. What it would feel like on her toes to touch hardwood floors instead of the scratchy mismatched area rugs scattered over the cement floor. What it would be like to breathe in crisp fresh air of the country instead of the smoggy air of the crowded city.

Does she really need a bigger place? Sure it would make entertaining much easier, but she is all alone in this cozy house, and she spent more time working than she did at home. She smiled again with relief. Even though the roof leaked when it rained, and occasionally the door came unhinged, it was a place to hang her hat, and that was all she really wanted.

Auto Salespeople

It has recently come to my attention that car salespeople seem to be taking extreme (more like ridiculous) measures to get a sale. My neighbor recently went to Autofair to buy (in cash) a new SUV, after taking the SUV for a test drive, he asked the salesman what the price was on the car. The salesmen told him that unless he signed a contract saying that he would buy the SUV that he would not disclose the price. Needless to say, my neighbor did not buy the SUV from Autofair.

Another one of my friends asked for a quote on a car, and as the salesman was going through his list of expenses, he skipped over on line that had a large amount of money on it, when my friend asked what that money was for the salesmen replied, "Well its like a tip for me." Like the commission he makes off the car is not good enough he decided to add in another thousand dollars in a "tip" for himself. Unbelievable!

I have heard of salespeople taking keys from customers so that they could not leave the dealership, or not allowing customers to test drive a car unless they have a written agreement to make a purchase that day. What is wrong with these people? I understand wanting to make money, I work in a sales position, but is this really necessary? What makes them think that consumers will actually respond positively to this type of behavior? It makes you wonder what types of people are managing this business..? Do they really encourage these kinds of sales techniques? So much for customer service, looks like the only people they want to service are themselves. No wonder so many people buy used cars in private sales. I would buy privately just to avoid being attacked by salespeople!