Wordless Wednesday

 The Storybook

Bowling With My Boy

So, Zachary turned 4 last week. I can't believe he's already 4! They grow up so fast. We started the day with him opening his gift. If we are friends on Facebook, you probably already know how much he loves the movie Cars. So he got a Cars bicycle. Since he wanted Handy Manny tools (and costume) for Christmas, we thought he might enjoy putting it together. So he got dressed up in his hard hat and tool belt and went to work. One word~ADORABLE!

Times have been tight financially, so we didn't have a party. In retrospect it would have cost me less, if not the same amount of money to have a party. When exactly did bowling stop being an affordable family outing?!?! I was shocked at how much it cost for shoes, the lane (per person/per game) plus food and drink.

Ok, the cost aside, my little man had a blast! We asked him what he wanted to do for his big day and gave him 3 choices. Hannah and Lauren wanted skating or Monkey Joes. When we weren't around, I am pretty sure they tried to convince him to go somewhere else. However, when we all got in the car, I asked him one more time and he said he wanted to go bowling. He was so funny! I wished I had taken video because the lighting was so bad my pictures didn't come out very well. But I will forever remember the happy dances and the jumping around in excitement whenever he knocked some pins down! It was so worth it! I don't really bowl but I think he did pretty good; he bowled a 68.

We finished off the afternoon with a stop at dairy queen for blizzards. I selected a few pictures for this month's photo spotlight.

What’s in a Name?

I’m not certain, but I think my mother chose my name. She went high school in an area where there were a lot of Hispanics and liked the name Yolanda. While I have met several Hispanics named Yolanda, I wasn’t sure it was of Spanish origin. I recently did a little research. Most sites said it was of Greek origin or Greek and Spanish origin. They all agreed that the name meant violet flower. I also found out that it peaked in popularity in the early 1970s, which happens to be when I was born.

Growing up, I didn’t really like my name all that much. For one reason, most people butchered it, mispronouncing it all the time. Secondly, there were all these cool personalized items like key rings, zipper pulls, nameplates, stickers and the like, but there was never, ever a Yolanda. Lastly, I didn’t meet another Yolanda until I was in high school. The originality of my name in my circles may have been a good thing, but I didn’t recognize that until years later. I really, really wanted a “regular” name like Karen or Jennifer. I did try to have a little fun with it. At one point I would develop aliases and try them out, like when I met a guy I wasn’t really interested in-I’d give him a fake name.

There came a time when I was reading about how it was considered disrespectful to your parents to trash or change your given name. Apparently in some cultures and certainly in the Bible, the given name had significant meaning to the family or events in their life at that time. I have great parents, whom I love and honor, so I still have my name. However, my childhood isn’t without scarring.

For a nickname, I was called Gypsy. My great-grandmother called my Gypsy. She struggled with saying my given name and gave me this nickname. At the time, my parents lived out of state and traveled I-95 heavily. Great-grandma Ida likened us to gypsies and that’s how I got my nickname. As a child, it didn’t matter to me. I hadn’t known any different. As a teenager however, I would beg and plead to not be embarrassed in front of my friends by being called by “that” name.

I had long reconciled myself with my name when I began to meet other Yolanda’s. In fact, there were four Yolanda’s in my high school. Okay, this was confusing. You always had to ask “which Yolanda?” in conversations. With the embracing of my name came a little more research: what does it say about me? I found some interesting things for example; I am a person motivated by success. I am a joyful person. I have reasoning power and I am known for loyalty. I don’t like leaving things unfinished and I have inherent artistic qualities. I don’t even remember which site I found this stuff, and I don’t know how valid the information is, however, I did feel as though it was pretty factual about me. Perhaps, I just became inspired to be all those things.

The Generation That Lost Their History

Almost everyone you meet these days owns a digital camera. It's always interesting to hear what people do with their photos after they take them. Some people storybook them, others scrapbook. Some people I meet actually keep their photos stored on their memory stick and just keep buying new ones. Others I meet, upload them to their computer and think that they are safe. I have run into so many people in my profession, who have lost precious photos because their computer crashed.

You should always have a back up of your irreplaceable files. Photos are the proof of our history, of the life and times and memories we've shared. If they are lost, no amount of insurance can replace them. Back your files up on CD or DVD and store them in a safe place, like a safety deposit box or in the home of another relative or friend. Even better, get online storage. Several companies, including Heritage Makers, offers online photo storage. Some are free for a limited amount of space and others are fee-based for an unlimited amount of space. Then if something happens to your computer, you can always download them back to your new computer or hard drive.

Don't be part of the generation that lost their history to a simple hard drive crash!

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Scan Project HAITI

In the wake of the devastation that the people of Haiti are dealing with, I am reminded of the importance of preservation. So many people lost their lives and so many will NEVER be identified. This country so rich with history; a legacy of pride, of hope, of resilience...needs our help.

Many of us (or someone we know) still have pre-digital photos that if lost or destroyed in an unexpected disaster couldn’t be replaced. Those memories could be lost to our families forever.

I am organizing a Scan-A-Thon February 6th from 10am-5pm at the New World Café located 4112 Pleasant Valley Road Raleigh, NC 27612-2634. Patrons can bring in their shoebox of photos and have them scanned at high resolution and archived on CD or thumb drive. Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross to aid in relief efforts for the people of Haiti.

You can help by letting your friends know about this event and/or bringing your own photos in to be scanned. The goal is to scan 10,000 photos. I intend to have 3 scanners on site so we can accommodate 1200-1500 photos per hour! I have also posted a video of the scanner in action, so you can see for yourself how this can be done so quickly.

Scan Pricing Details

1-99 photos 39 cents per scan

100-499 photos 29 cents per scan

500+ photos 19 cents per scan

Photos will be scanned to CD (Feel free to bring your own thumb drive)

**Scanner can accommodate up to 8" wide and 14" in length.

Help spread the word and Scan Your Memories for Haitian Relief!

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

High-Speed photo scanning with Heritage Makers

Scan Your Memories for Haitian Relief February 6th at the New World Cafe. We will be there from 10am-5pm.

6 Surefire Ways to Jumpstart 2010

• Posted by Yvonne Carson on December 29, 2009 at 1:00pm
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I believe one of the pieces to laying a solid foundation for success can be summed in one word – BALANCE! If you lean too much to just the money side of achieving your dreams or goals, you may find getting or arriving at the top of your field or businesslonely. If you place too much emphasis on getting ahead and working endless hours, you may wake up one day to the harsh reality that you have no meaningful friendships or significant person in your life to love.

The best way to guard against these possible scenarios or others like them is to devise goals that include key areas of your life that are based upon your core values. For example, as a Christian woman, my values are (1) God first (2) family second (3) ministry or business, etc is third on my hierarchy of priorities; it is different for everyone.

There are six areas I believe will set a strong foundation from which to build as you pursue your goals for 2010 and beyond. They are (1) Faith (2) Family (3) Fitness (4) Finances (5) Friends and (6) Fun.

1. Faith. It is important to build yourself up spiritually and stay connected to God through prayer, praise, and worship, reading the Bible, and study Scripture. Doing these things every day consistently will help you be in tune for divine guidance, instruction, and direction for your family, health, business, etc.

2. Family. Family is one of the most important relationships you can have in life! If your home is not in order or falling apart, it will have a negative impact on every thing you do including our business. You may have the most wonderful wife or husband and children in the world, but if they are not nurtured and made to feel important, you jeopardize losing them. Devise a family mission statement and stick with. This will help you see when you are getting of course or imbalanced.

3. Fitness. We live in such a fast-paced society that we often do not the care of our physical health. The fact is you cannot neglect your physical health and expect to accomplish your dream and goals. A sick or diseased body will limit how we pursue your dreams and goals – energetically or sluggishly; sharp thinker or dull thinker, etc. The best remedies for this is plan and execute a regular exercise regimen and eat more healthy foods. Being emotionally healthy is just as important as physical health. Exercise your brain by reading inspiring and encouraging books, listen to tapes. Develop a personal development regimen.

4. Finance. Become a good steward of the financial blessings that come into your life through running your own business or as an employee. No where your money is going. Set goals of how much income you want to generate, save, donate, and invest. Guard against greed! Develop a healthy attitude and relationship with money. It’s only a tool and when used properly can benefit and bless you, your family and those around you.

5. Friends. Next to having strong family connections friends are the second most important relationships in your life, and they need to be honored and nurtured as well. When others, including your family, fail to understand you sometimes, a close, trusting friend can really help keep you well grounded! You may only have one or two close friends, but that is more than most people have. So, hold onto them and do not work too much at pursuing your dreams and goals that you neglect your friends!

6. Fun. The old adage, “All work and no play makes a Jack a dull boy” still rings true today! It is so important to laugh and have fun, go places and do fun things! Have fun just for the sake of having fun!! It is a big stress reliever and is good for your overall health. It is not a healthy practice to work 18 hours or more 7 days a week! Take time to nurture yourself; it will rejuvenate you!

Doing these things will ensure a strong foundation of balance in your life so that you can build strong, healthy relationships while you pursue your dreams and goals. Happy New Year!

If you’d like to use this article on your website, in your newsletter or anywhere else, you may do so as long as the information below is included in its entirety.

Yvonne Carson is the CEO/founder of Woman-To-Woman Empowerment Academy and Women Breaking Free, a free membership community. Her mission is to help women to grow through spiritual development and personal development.http://womenbreakingfree.ning.com

Tags: bible, business, christian, faith, god, health, mission statement, personal development

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