Prince William and Catherine Middleton appear at a photocall

April 13, 2011 - One of the sad days in my life!

In loving memory of my furry son!

"Pepper Domino Oulton"

May 7, 1995 – April 13, 2011

What joy Pepper Dog has brought into my life and daddy's! We loved him so very much he was a part of every breath I took - yesterday he went to doggie heaven may you rest in peace my beauitful boy!



With heavy hearts; and a tear in our eyes
after all these years; we must say goodbye
Please understand; we've done all we could
if there was anything we could do; you know we would

I'm sitting right here; gently rub your ears
while I talk to you softly; trying to hold back the tears
The memories you gave us; we'll never forget
especially the ones; of the day we all met

One last hug; and one last kiss
you have no idea; how much you'll be missed
To look into your eyes; this one last time
you tell me it's ok; you know it's your time

Close your eyes now; and go to sleep
we'll pray to the Lord; you're soul he'll keep
Go in peace now; our good friend
we'll stay right here with you; until the end

Dream of that special day and time
when we'll meet at the Bridge; and all will be fine
We'll run and play; side by side
with a soft warm feeling; deep down inside

Your memory will live on; in each one of us
you'll always be number 1; to all of us
Have a safe journey; through the night
I promise when you awake; you'll be in God's light

So with heavy hearts; and tears in our eyes
just for now my friend; we say goodbye


I will always miss you my wonderful sqattybody, pepper dog, boo, pooter dog, - momma loves you - kisses!



We Have A Secret

We have a secret, you and I
that no one else shall know,
for who but I can see you lie
each night in fire glow?
And who but I can reach my hand
before we go to bed
and feel the living warmth of you
and touch your silken head?
And only I walk woodland paths
and see ahead of me,
your small form racing with the wind
so young again, and free.
And only I can see you swim
in every brook I pass
and when I call, no one but I
can see the bending grass.

Author Unknown


Tribute To A Best Friend

Sunlight streams through window pane
unto a spot on the floor....
then I remember,
it's where you used to lie,
but now you are no more.
Our feet walk down a hall of carpet,
and muted echoes sound....
then I remember,
It's where your paws would joyously abound.
A voice is heard along the road,
and up beyond the hill,
then I remember it can't be yours....
your golden voice is still.
But I'll take that vacant spot of floor
and empty muted hall
and lay them with the absent voice
and unused dish along the wall.
I'll wrap these treasured memorials
in a blanket of my love
and keep them for my best friend
until we meet above.

Author Unknown

What is Volunteering?

Volunteering is the practice of people working on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain. Volunteering generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life.

People also volunteer to gain skills without requiring an employer's financial investment.

Volunteering takes many forms and is performed by a wide range of people. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work in, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others volunteer on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster.


Benefits

There are three major benefits of volunteering:

1.Economic benefits: activities undertaken by volunteers that would otherwise have to be funded by the state or by private capital, so volunteering adds to the overall economic output of a country and reduces the burden on government spending.

2.Social Benefits: volunteering helps to build more cohesive communities, fostering greater trust between citizens and developing norms of solidarity and reciprocity that are essential to stable communities.

3.Individual Career Benefits: graduates can meet people and gain work experience through volunteering, and, it helps school students for scholarships knowing well that the judges are impressed when a resume lists volunteer work.

Social Capital

The social capital represented by volunteering plays a key role in economic regeneration. Where poverty is endemic to an area, poor communities lack friends and neighbors able to help. This, voluntary mutual aid or self-help is an important safety net. This model works well within a state because there is a national solidarity in times of adversity and more prosperous groups will usually make sacrifices for the benefit of those in need.

Skills

Skills-based volunteering refers to volunteering in which the volunteer is specifically trained in the area they are volunteering in. This is in contrast to traditional volunteering, where specific training is not required. The average hour of traditional volunteering is valued by the Independent Sector at between $18-20 an hour. Skills-based volunteerism is valued at $40-500 an hour depending on the market value of the time.

Micro

Micro-volunteering is a new trend in the non-profit sector whereby volunteers help out in small, convenient ways which don't require the commitment of scheduled volunteering.[ Regular volunteering is to micro-volunteering as a full-time job is to a contract position. Micro-volunteering is not the same as virtual volunteering, which is done exclusively from a computer. The trend aims to capture the value of skills-based volunteering with the collaboration models of projects like Wikipedia and Open Source Software.


Virtual

Virtual volunteering, also sometimes called as eVolunteering is a term describing a volunteer who completes tasks, in whole or in part, offsite from the organization being assisted, using the Internet and a home, school, telecenter or work computer. Virtual volunteering is also known as online volunteering, cyber service, telementoring, and teletutoring, and various other names. Virtual volunteering is similar to telecommuting, except that, instead of online employees who are paid, these are online volunteers who are not paid.


In almost all modern societies, the most basic of all values is people helping people and, in the process, helping themselves. But a tension can arise between volunteerism and the state-provided services, so most countries develop policies and enact legislation to clarify the roles and relationships among stakeholders and identify and allocate the necessary legal, social, administrative, and financial support. This is particularly necessary when some voluntary activities are seen as a challenge to the authority of the state, e.g. on 29 January 2001, President Bush cautioned that volunteer groups should supplement, not replace, the work of government agencies. Volunteerism that benefits the state but challenges paid counterparts raises the ire of labor unions representing the paid counterparts as in the case of volunteer fire departments, particularly in combination departments.

Miss Middleburg High School Pageant

Miss Middleburg is crowned congrats to the young ladies we had a wonderful time at your event! I enjoy watching and of course Judging those young lady's they are outstanding young girls! The lucky winner will have a year of fun and will have the chance to compete at the Miss Senior High pageant this coming November and the Queen of that pageant advances to Miss Florida! Congrats to all! Thanks for letting me be a part of your show and salute to the America and what does Patriotism mean to you!


Enjoy!