captive audience

I know I am going to upset a few readers today, so I just want to put it out there that this is based soley on my opinion and I am OK with anyone that does not agree with me.

(Differences in opinion are the spice of the life, they allow us to see things through another lens and I appreciate the moments when I realize I may have been looking at something completely wrong)

Ok, so on to the purpose of my post.

I waited a day to write this because I feel like yesterday the TV watching audience of the US needed a little bit of time to digest the results of American Idol.


I have come to the conclusion of a few things.

I am the type of person who really likes to figure things, people, and results out.

I am simply astonished that the US chose LEE has the American Idol. Not, because I don't like him.

BUT, because CRYSTAL blew him away on final performance night.

HOWever, the DWTS's audience got it right by voting NICOLE the winner.

She WAS the best dancer on the show, and all other factors aside. She deserved to win.

How can it be that the viewing audience got it right for DWTS and NOT for AI.

Here's my hypothesis.

The audience is the number one factor. Their life experiences and realistic views are what makes the difference in voting patterns.

You may still be confused, but here it is in simple terms.

American Idol's fan base is much younger than DWTS.

My parents used to watch both, but they are much more devoted to DWTS.

Sorry, Mom if I just threw you under the bus. But it's true.

She and my Dad are baby boomers.

Which makes them much wiser, more experienced and REALISTIC.

It's easy for the DWTS voters to honestly say, "ok, she's the best, I'm voting for her".

Not, the case with AI's voters.

AI's voters are for the most part aged 12-44, I'm guessing here.

This age group still lives in LA-LA land and ALWAYS votes for the underdog.

I don't get this.

I mean, we all know they both will have great careers but shouldn't there be some sort of recognition for kicking some major A$$ final performance night?

Crystal was ridiculously good, gave me goosebumps, and moved me to tears.

Not so much for Lee that night.

I love the guy, think he's great.

BUT!!!!!!!

He did not win in my eyes on performance night.

Here's my bone to pick.

The AI voters did the same darn thing last year with Chris Allen. Again, love him too!

BUT, Adam Lambert was the winner from Day One and he should have WON that freakin' title.

Again, sorry with the caps and the frustration.

I just don't get it.

Life is not all fairytales and roses.

The person who IS the best, should win. Not the guy who needs the sympathy vote.

I am stern when I say, I believe this whole-heartedly.

We sure as heck don't vote for our President because we feel sorry for them, do we?

Sympathy votes. Should NOT count.

This is one life, and I personally only want to win an award because I deserved it, not because someone feels sorry for me.

Not feeling sorry for myself,
KHAK

PS. I bought "Falling Slowly" with Crystal and Lee on itunes and it's awesome!

Side-tracked

Today I had an orthodontist appointment, I know how old am I?

Sometimes adults have to go for maintenance issues ie. my permanent retainer broke and $120 later, all is good in the Land of KHAK's mouth!

Hooray, my teeth are straight and I should be good for at least another 2 years for my next repair.

Since my appointment only took 20 minutes flat, I decided it was NOT a coincidence that TJ MAXX is a hop, a skip, and a jump away from my doctor's office.

Background information: I have always heard that Tuesday mornings are the best time to go there since their weekly deliveries arrive on Tuesday mornings.

SSShhhh.....this is top secret

You have to promise you will not tell a soul, except your shopping buddies.

I decided I had to take advantage of this situation!

I had to, I had to I tell ya!

I have a little bit of predicament in which I hate all of my work clothes and quite frankly I am sick of wearing all black every day.

I have no idea how my closet got this way, but I apparently have a love affair with BLACK and I need to end it really fast.

Like, today!

I scored so big today!

There is a reason for this being their slogan....

I found lots of great tops for work and a few loungin' weekend shirts too!

Wahoo!

One shirt I liked was Made in China, so I put it back. More on that later.

I bought 7 shirts for $125.

Not bad Not bad.

Although, every day when I check my bank account the money that I keep expecting to magically appear has not yet, so I cannot be spending too much!

I justify this purchase by the simple fact that I NEED Summer tops and I did not buy anything else.

No skirts, purses, shoes. Although I saw a few I would have liked to have purchased.

I also was super close to purchasing this awesome Lacoste Beach Towel for $14.99.

I may go back and get that puppy. Beach towels are expensive and I loved this one with alligators on it.

If you ever get the chance to visit your local TJ's on Tuesday morning, tell 'em KHAK sent ya!
KHAK

nice sentiment

On a random night out with one of my best gal pals we began to discuss the friends in our lives and one specific gentleman came to mind. I don't remember how or why exactly we were talking about this person, but that's not the point.

The below statement was made about this friend of mine.

"He's got wings under his shirt"

This is in reference to angel wings in case you are wondering ;-)


What a nice sentiment, right?

Yes, of course.

The thing is, it's true.

This man is one of the nicest people I have ever met.

Never says a bad thing about anyone.

And would stand in front of a bus for me and my family.

Are these sentiments meant to be kept a secret or should I tell this person how awesome I think he is?

A little life dilemma of whether or not to tell a friend how great they are and how they have shaped and infuenced your life.

I make a point to always tell loved ones in my life how great they are, should I do the same in this instance?

Do you have a friend who has "wings under their shirt"?

If you do, you are a lucky son of a gun.

I know I am.

Here's to friends,
KHAK

Aaron wanted in on the fun!

This is the closest thing to a guest post I can offer today. Many bloggers (the ones with um-teen followers) often have guest bloggers post on their blog.

It offers a sense of camaraderie and support of one another's work.

My version of a guest post is one the husband requested.

Although, I am doing the typing, he "sort of" asked if I could blog about this specific subject.

Have you ever made the mistake of taking out steaks, meat, etc to thaw out for dinner, all the while you have leftovers from the night before that need to be eaten.

There is nothing worse than wasting food, in my opinion and current economic status. Our household cannot only afford to waste food, but we also do not like to due to those suffering from hunger in other countries.

One beautiful, warm night this week, Aaron had this same dilemma.

He took out a rib-eye steak for himself and a piece of chicken for me to thaw out before he remembered he had Papa John's pizza leftover from the night before.

Once he realized this, he knew he had to come up with a solution fast on how not to waste either one of these food items.

In Aaron's world, you do NOT waste PIZZA! It is a sin to do so.

So, he came up with a pretty nifty pizza that involves bbq sauce and rib-eye steak.

Genius!

I tasted it and it was superb.

Rib-eye steak is not tough and it was so delish on the pizza.

Aaron was so proud of his Pizza recipe, he will most likely make it again.

A great way to not waste his leftover pizza!

One point for Aaron!
KHAK

Joke of the day

I cannot resist sharing this with my readers. I really needed this today to help with my headache and all around frantic working this week. This is super funny and had me giggling super loud at work. Enjoy!

HInt: If you click on the photo it will be larger for you to read.




Do you know me?
KHAK

Twenty-four hours to THINK.

It has been 24 hours since our stingray incident and I have been doing a lot of thinking since then.

One, how can I get the word out to other beach goers that this (stingray attacks) is a concern?

Two, how can I thank/find the nice couple who carried Aaron to the car while I packed the surfboard, beach chair, beach bag, etc.?

Finally, why in the world did we have to ask for help? and why were the four cute girls getting a suntan not concerned about us as I was sprinting back to our chairs to get a towel to wrap Aaron's foot? Couldn't they tell something was wrong as I was running and Aaron was screaming?

I really want to be able to thank the nice couple walking on the beach for helping us. I was in panic mode and I needed help getting Aaron to the car and getting the car packed. Thank goodness we were parked really close to the public walkway and that we did not have that much stuff with us. I literally threw every thing in the car as the nice couple helped Aaron into the car.

I want to find a way to thank them. They helped me so much by taking care of Aaron, so that I could get the car packed.

Aaron mentioned to me last night, that he noticed a group of beach goers coyly laughing at him.

What has happened to our society?

How dare we try and mess up their sun time. Not one person came up and asked us if he was alright, if we needed help, NOTHING.

I am astonished in how people can be so self-absorbed.

I wonder if the same thing would have happened if I would have drowned?

Would Aaron be able to get help or would the hippy-mind set of Folly beach have sunk in and the people sitting there remained seated.

I know that we are all strangers on the beach, but I also know that we are all ONE community.

Come one. What ever happened to "Love thy stranger"

Ok, I made that commandment up, but I do know that I practice what I preach.

AND I also know, that I will always ask someone if they need help especially at the beach.

I have read several articles that past few years about how our society "looks the other way" nowadays in hopes to not get involved in incidences.

That's crazy to me. I will not sue you, nor will I blame you for helping.

Be a volunteer.

Don't be lazy.

and for goodness sake, lend a helping hand because you never know when you will be on the receiving end.

Peace and OUT!
KHAK

story of pictures

WOW! What a day...

Do you guys remember Highlights the magazine?

This was my favorite thing to look forward to every month growing up.

One of my grandmothers bought me the subscription every year and I loved it.

Specifically, I love the story of pictures.

I always "cheated" and skipped ahead to the story of pictures.

They were so fun and interesting to me.

Here's an interesting story for you.

My story of pictures:

Today

after having our morning coffee


The husband and I decided to go to the beach

I brought my book
and Aaron brought his surf board

We set out on our way and listened to a little bit of Kenny with the sun shining brightly on our drive


After I read for a little bit, Aaron wanted to show me how to paddle...

and maybe do a little bit of this....

Our fun time was rudely interrupted after Aaron was greeted with one of these

and one of these entered his foot

Which then caused him to do this...

all the way to this

After one of these,

well actually two shots in the butt and one in his foot

The doctors had Aaron do this

in HOT HOT WATER

It was the only thing that made him not scream and moan.

It was terrible and I felt so helpless.

After three hours and lots of drama queen

moments from the husband

(the doctor said everyone reacts as crazy as Aaron did, he was seriously saying every word under the sun, along with ''Christ Almighty". That one came out a lot)

We came home with some of these

Which he hates by the way. ( he never takes antibiotics).

These are to avoid an infection.

Once we got home and settled in he wanted this

from his favorite Mexican joint. So off I went to fetch his dinner.

I hope you enjoyed my story of pictures.

After researching our unexpected incident. The stingrays are out early this year and Florida was swarmed with them a month ago.

Also, the urgent care we went to said Aaron was their second sting of the season. Seems kinda early, doesn't it?

Tips to remember:
If you find yourself in this situation do not delay seeking medical attention.

Wrap your foot and apply pressure until you can get medical attention

To stop the pain asap, soak your foot in HOT HOT Water with White Vinegar. This helps to release the venom from your body.

Accept the pain medicine offered, you will need it.

Xrays are important to make sure the barb is not still in your foot. The barbs have a reverse hook and can sometimes require surgery to be removed. For this reason, be careful removing the barb on your own.

Thank you to the Doctor's Care on James Island. They were so nice and extremely helpful and understanding of Aaron's foul language.

Happy Sunday!
KHAK

variety is the spice of life

My intent of today's post was to fill your brains with a lot of tips/resources for you as you walk this journey we call, life.

From saving money to making every day count, I hope I can add a little "FLAIR" to your day.

A few things you mat not know that I want to share with you:

1. If you have an American Express card you have access to early ticket purchases on ticketmaster.com for performances/concerts, etc. Typically, a week earlier than the usual ticket date you can purchase tickets. I have used this before and it was great! I was able to get the hubby and I, really great seats for John Legend. I am not supporting going out and getting an Am/Ex card. Lord knows, we all have too many CC, but if you already have one you NEED and MUST take advantage of this premium offering.

2. Today Subway had FREE BREAKFAST from 7-11am. A special promotion to push their new breakfast menu. The English Muffin was superb with egg whites and the coffee was great! Seattle's Best is strong and bold. Loved it. A new healthy breakfast option for those of you on the run.

3. This weekend I urge you to take advantage of the FREE scenery in your town. For those of you on the Coast, the beach is FREE, but SPF is NOT. DO NOT FORGET THIS, especially since it is the beginning of the beach season and your skin has been in hibernation mode. SPF SPF SPF!!!!!!!!

4. New restaurants are popping up everywhere in Charleston and they probably are in your town too. Commercial real estate is down so business owners are taking advantage of good lease options. Go ahead and support local. You are rewarding yourself and your community by getting the commerce flowing. Bon appetit and Salute!

On to other random things.....

Do you make the coffee in your house or does your significant other?

Mine recently decided to give up coffee for a bit.

No reason given but whatever.

I am upset about this because in exchange for him making the coffee every morning, I make the bed, dust the house, vacuum the house, etc. etc. you get the point.

His daily chore is to make the coffee and mine is to make the bed.

Why is he allowed to abandon his? I need answers and I mean quick.

When he told me he was no longer going to drink coffee, "he said are you ok with that?"

I said "yes, because you are still going to make coffee for me".

He laughed and said "that was not the answer I was expecting"

He should not be able to forgo this do you think?

I have not had coffee made by him in 2 weeks and I am starting to get irritated. Strangely enough, I have noticed that has been making himself lattes instead.

Um, hello? What's up with that Mister?

I am thinking this behavior needs to be put to a halt.

Am I overreacting? Or am I right?

Not only is my coffee fix delayed each morning, but I am having to spend $$ too!

Do I need to go on that Marriage Show? This would be a good argument to fight.

Ugh, irritated.

Still love him though.

Other things random.

In a recent phone call with my sister, she mentioned to me that "according to Oprah" she is overdue for a new pillow?

I love Oprah and all, but since when did she hang the moon?

Maybe Aaron is right.

She is the next brainwashing leader to hit the Free World?

We now have no phone zones (I do support this), we have Dr. OZ (that's all I'll say about that), we have Dr. Phil (he annoys me), and she has become the most influential person in the world (according to me).

I really do adore Oprah.

My point is that, my sister is the last person I would ever think would listen to what Oprah says.

Especially about when it is time for her to buy a new pillow.

Too funny.

Just had to share.

Question of the day: How often do you buy new pillows? Another recent friend mentioned to me that she needs to buy new pillows too. How do you measure this need? Is it time lapsed, softness, odor?

just wondering....

Happy Sleeping,
KHAK

MIA for a week...

So so sorry for being MIA for seven days. I needed to experience my trip without the thought of online networking, decompose for a few days, and then share my emotions with you all at a later date.

As you know I went home to Virginia to say goodbye to Oceanfront Dance Company. After 15 long years, the show will go on, but with different leading ladies.

Things happen for a reason and God knows where we should be and he puts us there even if we don't want him to.

After a few days to think, review, and love; this is what I learned:

1. I love seeing friends experience new journeys. Congrats to the Millers and their beautiful new house. Can't wait for a pool day.

2. I never thought I could love my friends' children as much as I do. I am so in love with all of them.

3. Family is and will always be NUMBER ONE. I already knew this, but it is important to be reminded.

4. My friends are like FAMILY, so they are number one too!

5. My Sister is amazing. There is no way to describe her. If you don't know her, I suggest you go find her. She has a little free time now. She loves going to the beach so you might find her there.

6. I love the special bond my sister has with my friends. This is important for 2 reasons. My sister knows why my friends are my friends. And my friends know why my sister is my best friend.

7. Pretty sure I've talked myself out of my need to be a school teacher. After the hellacious dance parents I had to deal with this weekend, I'm done needing to fulfill that prophecy.

8. Mr. Dance Dad, your daughter's dance recital is just as important as your son's soccer game. He has 25 games a season, your daughter has been preparing for her ONE recital for 10 months. Let's get that straight. Do not underestimate the power of a dance class. (Can you tell one dad made me a little angry? I need to let go of this but I am still not liking this man.)

9. No Dance Mom will ever make me cry again. Last year she was a b*tch and made me cry, this year she was a b*tch and I just laughed at her. "No one's gonna bring me down. oh oh ooo..."

10. Dance parents don't get it until they see the show. Then somehow they forget all the hard work by the beginning of classes again. I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Oh well.

11. 50% of parents appreciate me, 50% don't. AND that's ok. 50/50 isn't bad.

12. My sister uses me as the "messenger" so her dancers will hate me and not her. She's a smart girl, because I don't mind. That's what I'm there for. (example, I had to tell Advanced Co. they could not have their hair swinging in their face and no fly-aways. They did not like my announcement, Sorry.!) "Whatever happened to dippity-do?"

13. My nephew has no idea how much I love him. It is impossible for him to know, hopefully one day he will understand when he is not 15 and "too-cool for school".

14. My Cousin Lisa makes me smile inside and out. She is a beautiful person and I love her.

15. Mother's Day is special in so many ways. I miss my Gee-Gee but I know she was there watching on Sunday. I am pretty sure she is upset that Amy didn't dance in the recital. I am confident that will be the first thing she will say to Amy the day she arrives at the pearly gates. I can hear her now. She still makes me laugh just thinking of her.

16. All things must come to an end, and all things must also BEGIN.

Cheers to the next journey. I can't wait to see what it is.
KHAK

Letter to my Sister

Big Sis,

The day has come for you to end a chapter, reach the end of the road, or simply said it's the end.

However, I don't think so.

This is just the beginning.

It's only just begun, my friend.

The man upstairs has so much more in store for you.

Everything you touch turns to GOLD and the world needs more leprechauns like you.

You are a genius choreographer, superb role model, and exquisite example of a person who knows how to "keep the faith".

You showed me how to love myself, enjoy each moment, and spread my wings.

I mean come on, there was a time when I was afraid to order a bloomin' pizza over the phone and Now there's a time where I moved two states away all for love and I never once questioned myself because of you.

All because of you.

You taught me how to trust myself and most of all, always be TRUE to oneself first and then TRUE to everyone else.

As we approach the end/middle/beginning or whatever the heck you want to call it, I have a few quotes that I would like to share with you:

First, a funny one. Love-it!

In the end we're all Jerry Springer Show guests, really, we just haven't been on the show.
Marilyn Manson

An intellectual one.

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
Winston Churchill


One that's deep, but makes sense.

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.
T. S. Eliot

A self-reflection one.

What appears to be the end of the road may simply be a bend in the road.
Robert H. Schuller


One that truly makes the most sense and reminds me of you and the faith you have in God putting you in the right place.

I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.
Douglas Adams

One that explains what life is all about.

Wisdom begins at the end.
Daniel Webster

Last, one that makes me smile knowing you are the best doggone Ballet Teacher the girls at Oceanfron Dance Company will ever have. Their lights shine bright because of you and none of your dancers will ever forget the soul you bring to a dance class.

Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. (Dance) Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.
Andy Rooney

Ok, so I edited the last one a little bit, but who's watching.

Well, you don't want me to start that list.

Nanny Goat, Daddy, Capt.T., Gee-Gee!

"Can I get an AMEN? AMEN."

I love you more than my words here can describe.

Cheers to you and the family you have raised at ODC.

See you on the stage,
KHAK