Please come and help Katie raise money to help her good friend, Stephen Comninos, fight ALS (Lou Gherig’s Disease).

Here’s the story:

“My name is Katie Demaria and I am raising money for my friend Stephen Comninos.  Stephen was diagnosed with Lou Gherig’s Disease (ALS) at the age of 24 in July, 2007.  Over the past 3 years, Stephen has bravely fought this disease and currently must travel to Mexico in order to receive Stem Cell treatment.  These treatments cost $18,000 each, not including travel costs.  Stephen has 2 more treatments to undergo, costing approximately $50,000.  Please help Stephen receive the best medical care available to him to battle this terrible disease.

In order to assist in fundraising, if I raise a minimum of $5,000 by March 15, I will run the distance from my home in Greenville, SC to Stephen’s home in Hermitage, PA.  The total distance is 604 miles.  My goal is to complete the distance in 2 months, which is approximately 75 miles a week.  My last 15 miles will be run into Hermitage, PA to present Stephen and his family the money that you have helped me raise.”

The kickoff party is scheduled for Saturday March 6, 2010 at Dixie’s Tavern in downtown Greenville, SC.  Come and help get Katie pumped for her run by enjoying great music, food, beer pong, a silent auction, awesome door prizes, and most importantly, a great time for a great cause!!!

Feel free to spread the word and we hope to see you there!

Please visit our website at www.runforstephen.com for additional details.

If you are unable to attend the Fundraising party, you can make a donation through the website or mail a check payable to The Stephen Comninos Fund (mailing address: Attn: Katie Demaria 209 Cedar Crossing Ln, Greenville, SC 29615)

Thank You.

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.

Dear Dogs and Cats: The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years – canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, and then go smell the other dog or cat’s behind. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don’t.
(2) If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it ‘fur’-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don’t speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

(1) eat less,
(2) don’t ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don’t smoke or drink,
(7) don’t want to wear your clothes,
(8) don’t have to buy the latest fashions,
(9) don’t need a gazillion dollars for college and
(10) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children …

I just wanted to update you all on what’s going on with Team DeLane.  For starters, the SC Buccaneers Roller Hockey Team helped raise over $700 for DeLane.  The Buccaneers would like to continue helping throughout the season by donating $2 from every $7 ticket purchased at the door (kids 6 and under are free).  Games are at The Pavillion, located at 400 Scottwood Rd. in Taylors and are scheduled to be: February 19, 20, 27, 28.  It’s a great way to spend time with the family so come out and support a great cause and cheer on the Buccaneers. For more information visit: http://www.scbuccaneersprohockey.com/
 
Local Avon representative, Jan Waller, has started up an event with Avon. From now through February 19 she will donate 20 percent of sales through this event to DeLane. Please check out the website and enjoy shopping. If you are asked for a promotional code at checkout it is: TEAMDELANE2010. http://janwaller.avonrepresentative.com/online_event/view.php?rep_spnsr_evnt_id=28829
 
Valentine’s Day is coming up, have you got something for your ”main squeeze” yet?  Check out Roots of Greenville.  If you order from them for Valentine’s Day using the code “Team DeLane” they will donate 20 percent of sales.  They have everything from flower arrangements to chocolates and they have FREE DELIVERY in Greenville!  Roots of Greenville is located at 2247 Augusta St. (864)-241-0100.  Go by and check ‘em out and remember you can buy Valentine’s gifts and support a great cause.  http://www.rootsofgreenville.com/valentinesday.html 

There are other events in the works, so I will be sure to keep you updated.  Thank you all so much for the support that you have shown.  I am amazed everyday by how people are so willing to help.  And a big thanks to our friend Leah who has put a lot of time in helping Team DeLane, including setting up this website.  Check it out and sign her guest book.  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/teamdelane/journal

One subject I always had problems with in school was English.  I still don’t know what a dangling participle is supposed to do and if you want me to diagram a sentence, you can just hold your breath for a few years.  The English language is a tricky devil to wrap your head around sometimes. It’s a hard language to learn for non-native speakers, and it has more irregularities than an old-folks home. With that in mind, I’m here (and thanks to asylum.com), to help by giving you a handy guide for some of those nagging issues and confusing rules (or exceptions) that arise from time to time to help make sure you’re using your language correctly.

Affect vs. Effect
What a silly pair of words. Will you be affected by the effect? Not if you’re not sure what you’re talking about. So here’s a handy tip for remembering which is the verb and which is the noun: Lady Gaga affects the brain stem, leading to bleeding ears and other painful effects.

Who vs. Whom
Smarty threw a party and no one came — remember that. A lot of people toss “whom” about willy nilly because they think it makes them sound smart like Frasier, but there’s a time and a place for all whoms, which we’re not even sure can be pluralized. Anyway, you want “who” when it’s the subject and “whom” when it’s the object of the sentence. Who kicked whom in the groin? Why is this correct and the reverse not? Replace who with “he” and whom with “him” and if the sentence makes sense, then Bob’s your uncle.

Which vs. That
Most people won’t give you trouble for this as grammar rules have loosened over the years, but if you want to be a stickler, “that” is important and “which” is not. Which is to say “that” is for essential parts of the sentence which, if they were removed, would change its meaning (and no commas are needed). “Which,” on the other hand, is for use in sentences that have extra, non-essential information added. The thing that bit me was a zombie. The bite, which later turned me into a zombie, was oozing pus. Notice in the second sentence that you can remove the whole part about the zombie and still appreciate the pus-oozing bite. If you remove anything in the first sentence you lose all kinds of meaning.

 
Me vs. I
This is another case where often people want to sound smart and for some reason “I” sounds smarter than “me.” Saying “Jerry watched me and Billy Joe eat fudge all afternoon” just seems wrong to some people, when in fact it’s perfectly fine, although that much fudge is not healthy. Basically, in order to figure this out, take out any reference to other people and see if the sentence makes sense. Billy and I drank Thunderbird and he passed out on me in the dumpster. “Me drank Thunderbird” and “passed out on I” just don’t sound right, now do they?

 
Its vs. It’s
This one seems easy but it sneaks in all the time, and the reason is because it’s just weird. We’re used to the possessive of any word ending in an apostrophe-s, so we want to use “it’s” to mean that something belongs to it. Unfortunately, “it’s” was stolen by the contraction for “it is” and we can’t have two contractions that look the same but mean different things; all hell would break loose. It’s not our fault its apostrophe is missing.

So there you have it..  Study up and next time I see you out in public, practice what you’ve learned.  Just don’t text me, I’m probably going to forget all this as soon as the text is over.  Much like I did in school.

Are you single like me?  Then find a date and help a cause.  This Friday, January 29th, is the “Auction For A Kaws”  Come out and buy a bachelor or bachelorette to help support rescued dogs and cats.

The event is at Zen on Main Street in Downtown Greenville and gets started at 6:30pm.   Get your tickets now at the Peace Center or Solar Tan and check out this link http://auctionforakaws.com to see pics of the bachelors and bachelorettes.

We need to help out pets, my dog Daisy would be proud.

The SC Buccaneers will be playing the Virginia Wings on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 8:00.    It is fan appreciation night so it is free to get in, that’s right FREE!!!   You can pick up your free tickets at local McDonald’s.

RAFFLE ITEMS UP FOR GRABS:

- A 2009 – 2010 GAME WORN SC BUCCANEERS JERSEY PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED TO THE WINNER

- A 2009 – 2010 AUTOGRAPHED SC BUCCANEERS HOCKEY STICK

- IT WORKS WELLNESS PACKAGE INCLUDING (4) PAK OF WRAPS ($100 VALUE)

- WEEKEND GETAWAY (2 NIGHTS STAY) AT THE MARRIOT OF CHARLESTON, SC AND ORLANDO, FL
 

SILENT AUCTION ITEMS:

- AN AUTOGRAPHED TEEMU SELANNE AND PAUL KARIYA NHL GAME PUCK

- AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF “JOSH SHOOTS HE SCORES” BY DAN BYLSMA, PITTSBURGH PENGUIN COACH AND 2009 STANLEY CUP CHAMPION

- AUTOGRAPHED BASEBALL BY MLB HALL OF FAMER, ROD CAREW

PLUS MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE!!!

It’s $5 for 5 tickets, $10 for 15 tickets and $20 for 30 tickets.  100% of the monies collected from the raffle will go to Team DeLane to benefit DeLane Breen and The Cancer Society of Greenville http://www.cancersocietygc.org/index.php

Hope to see you there!!!!

DID YOU KNOW…..

-The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma.
-No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7)  times.   Oh go ahead…I’ll wait…
-Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks.  (So, watch  your Ass)
-You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.
-Oak  trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.
-The  first product to have a bar code was Wrigley’s gum.
-The  King of Hearts is the only king without a moustache.
-American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.
-Venus  is the only planet that rotates clockwise. 
-Apples,  not caffeine, are  more efficient at waking you up in the  morning.
-Most  dust particles in your house are made  from dead skin!
-The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung  cancer.  So did the first ‘Marlboro  Man’.
-Walt  Disney was afraid of mice!
-Pearls melt in vinegar!
-The three most valuable brand names on earth:  Marlboro, Coca Cola and Budweiser - in  that  order.
-It  is possible to lead a cow  upstairs – but not downstairs.
-A duck’s quack doesn’t echo and no one knows  why.
-Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne  particles resulting from the  flush.
-Turtles can breathe through  their butts.

Love those Church Ladies and those wonderful Church Bulletins!   These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

————————-
The sermon this morning: ‘Jesus Walks on the Water.’ The sermon tonight: ‘Searching for Jesus.’
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Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
————————–
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say ‘Hell’ to someone who doesn’t care much about you.
————————–
Don’t let worry kill you off – let the Church help.
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
————————–
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall.  And then the Music will follow.
————————–
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What Is Hell?’ Come early and listen to our choir practice 
————————–
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
————————–
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM – prayer and medication to follow.
————————–
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. And They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
————————–
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
————————–
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is done.
————————–
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
————————-
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM.. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
————————–
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
————————–
The Associate Minister unveiled the church’s new campaign slogan last Sunday: ‘I Upped My Pledge – Up Yours’.
————————–

The last month has been so exciting for me.  After 12 years, I finally got a new car (well, it’s new to me).  My 1994 Honda has run it’s course and now I’m sporting an ‘06 Jetta.  I’m excited that I’m part of the VDub club here at the station.  Yep, there are several of us that are sporting the Jetta, including Just Joe, and he is the coolest person I know (next to Chase).  And if you know me, you know I like being part of the cool crowd.