Just a simple message today!

As simple as that!

I hope you have a GREAT Week!

~Chelle

Anyone interested in trying a 5K walk/run in September?? Join US!

Please join our team the Chelle Chockers on  Friday, September 6th  for the Electric Run!!

The Electric Run!! Follow THIS Link!!!

To join the team you need a password, please send me a message (reply below) and I will send it to you.  When you register be sure to sign up for the team and NOT as an individual runner (you will pay more).

This is going to be so much fun.

Make no mistake I'm not going to be running the whole time...not by a long shot...my big butt is going to be walking a LOT I'm sure.  HAHAHAHA!!

Please seriously consider joining us!!  We are already 6 people STRONG!

March for Babies Walk - A SUCCESS!!!

The March of Dimes/March for Babies walk on Sunday, May 5th at Reston Town Center, VA was an amazing success!!!! Thanks to the amazing generosity of so many I was able to raise $425 (with my goal being only $300).

 You all are so AWESOME!!!!
 I'm posting pictures below of the GREAT day. I am so proud of how great everything went and at the experience of the day. A new and fabulous/expanded team... can't wait until next year.

 Already heard from those who already want to join and re-join for next year too. So awesome!! Please keep in mind...you can still donate for THIS walk until June 30th (and the proceeds with go towards our team name)!!!

 YAY 2013 NoVa Teamie Premie!!!!

 THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

 2013 NoVa Teamie Premie
 

At the Start Line (and Kayla with her first photo bomb)
 

 Mile Marker two and still smiling
 

 Keeping up the pace together!


 Mile Marker #3


Mile Marker #4 (all done)
 

 Approaching the finish line, YAY!!!
 

 2013 Victory Banner!!
 

 Smiles and Thumbs up from all and time for our victory meal!!
 

Great Entertainment from Swing Shift DC during the after walk party!

 Our shirts!! and a few swag pieces!! Way to go team!!
 

4 Days until March of Dimes Walk - only $30 short of my goal PLEASE HELP!!

Hey there all!! I'm so excited. Sunday, May 5th is almost here. Reston Town Center is going to be so awesome and full of excited walkers/runners this weekend. The event is always so much fun. I also can't believe I'm only $30 short of my fundraising goal. OMG!!! Can you all please help me reach it?!?! PLEASE!!! Remember this is a tax deductible donation as well!! Please I'll be working for your money by walking on Sunday! I will post a picture of the team before the walk on Sunday and after I finish as well!! Just like last year. I'm so excited, I feel giddy. I also want to extend so much gratitude to those that have donated funds already. Your generosity really makes my heart swell each time I get a notification and I literally tear up each time. And a few times I've had to get tissues. I've completely surpassed last years donations by 200% WAY TO GO EVERYONE!! Thank you for supporting me and the March of DIMES! Please help me get to my goal!

This is for charity, can you help please?

I am doing the March of Dimes walk again this year on Sunday May 5th at the Reston Town Center in Northern Virginia (Near Dulles International Airport).

This is my second year and I'm gladly walking for this great cause.  It is very near and dear to my heart.  It is because of the research the March of Dimes has done and helped with that my daughter is alive and healthy today and I will be forever grateful for that.  She tried to deliver at 27 weeks and with the medicine and care I received (and the long 62 day stay in the hospital, which you can read about in this blog if you look back in my archive...I have a blog for literally EVERY day in the hospital)  she was born full term and very healthy and never spent 1 day in the NICU which was a miracle in itself.

I usually never do this but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!  PLEASE DONATE.  Even if it is only $1.  It doesn't matter.  All funds will help this cause.


Thank you so much for at least taking the moment to read.  If you cannot donate, that's ok. No worries, I just appreciate you taking the time to read my story.

April 1 = April Fools Day

Well Happy April 1 or as some like to say Happy April Fools Day!

Not to worry, you have nothing to fear from me.  I really stink and pull off or even putting together a practical joke let alone pulling one off.  I'm a terrible liar.  I can stretch/bend the truth if needed but that is as far as it goes and I'm even terrible at that because persons can usually see right through it.  I'm completely transparent.  That's why I just tell it like it is, no point in wasting time.  Just get it out.  Of course there is always a time and a place for everything, I am mindful of that.  I'm not rude about it.  I just with others were as kind sometimes.

I hope you all have a great Monday and that you are all not fooled or pranked too badly today.  Feel free to share your best memories or best jokes.  I would love to hear them.  I'm not that educated in the art of April Fools.  Anyone care to share?

Long awaited afternoon drive post

I know you've been long awaiting one so here it is....

my afternoon and holiday drive for you today.

N*Sync - It's gonna be me ---- with and intro of Justin doing his human beatbox battle with his drummer (which is more why I chose this video in the first place)

And it's a live performance and not a studio cut one...I love real performances. Perfomances in the raw, mistakes and all. Nothing beats them.

Yeah I'm a huge Justin Timberlake fan, especially since all of his SNL appearances and movie/solo music career success as well.  He's the real deal. In my opinion.  Some don't like him and that is just fine.  But I do.

Have a great rest of your day and enjoy the video!

Reading....do you?? What do you??

Recently I have re-discovered my LOVE for reading. At first it was just a way to busy my mind to keep me from thinking about all of the troubles that were at hand and also to help me from being sad.  It worked, VERY WELL in fact.  I started first by reading and re-reading books by my favorite authors.  Then some of those authors were releasing new books. And they referred some of their favorites on their social media sites (or even mentioned what they were currently reading).  So I ventured and started branching out for more authors.  

Then I started getting GREAT book recommendations from my friends of books that I had not already read.  Before when I would get a recommendation I had already read it, but now I was hearing of new books and authors I was not familiar with.  YAY!!   

I started a list of some of my favorite authors, please keep in mind this is no where near a complete list a all of what I'm reading.  Recently on of my good friends I'll just call her "E" she invited me to a group on Facebook and we affectionately call ourselves "book junkies".  I personally only know a few people in this group but it is like we are all best friends and we are a chattering, giggling book club.  Minus the physical presence.  It's an amazing group of people.  I'm so blessed to be a part of them and they have helped me in more ways than I can possibly express. I owe them so much.

Now, I used to only read journal like and auto biographical books or even branch out to Harry Potter books.  Well I've since branched out too all TYPES of books. Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance, Non-Fiction, (not a fan of horror; so I'm staying away from that) Sci-Fi.  

My favorite I've found are the one written realistically.  Even fantasy (but only if it's realistic), does that make sense?  Also I prefer the current time period or around the current time period to see how accurate the author is or if he/she takes artistic license with the period.  However I love a very accurate and detailed period book.  If want to feel as if I'm there. I get that so well with some of the new authors I have been referred to by my friends and now I'm anxiously awaiting sooooo many sequels that I'm going CRAZY.

I'm currently re-reading a few books I've already read as I'm awaiting sequels so I want the stories to stay fresh in my mind, but like I just said this makes me all the more anxious about the next part of the story and my imagination going wild with what I would do and how I might write the story if I was the author.

Do you like reading??  Even if you don't like it as much as I do that is totally cool....what do you like to read??  Tell me I would love to know.  

Not something I usually do...BUT....

Today I'm going to make an exception....

I have many family members and friends that I stand behind and love VERY much and I would never change any of them or their partners for the world.

I am a tremendous supporter of marriage equality.

Marriage is about LOVE!!  And that is THAT!

I drove by the Supreme Court building after dropping my husband off at work this morning to see all of the people out there with their signs supporting each side of the argument.  Both being nice and the NOT so nice (we don't even need to mention who I'm talking about to know who that is).  But at least with at the time I passed it was calm and contained, plenty of police presence and believe it or not LOTS of smiling faces.  People were genuinely happy to just be there to be a part of this day.   There were lots of news cameras, reporters, vans, etc and lines of people just waiting to get inside if they could.

Always remember...no matter what, they cannot take away LOVE!

A very funny "HARLEM SHAKE" video

I personally had no idea what the Harlem Shake was until recently.  Personally I still don't really understand it...  BUT... this morning I saw this.  It made me laugh so much.  I have to share it.  The video is only 60 seconds.  Enjoy!

Video Removed sorry...go to Perez Hilton.com to see it. it is rather hilarious
Oh and if you are asking...Yes...that is the Backstreet Boys!

Spring?? Winter?? Which is it??

This weather in our area (the Northern VA/Washington DC/Maryland Area) is just out of control.

Spring started 5 days ago.  Today we have SNOW.  I have said it all Winter long that I will believe we will get snow when I see it.  They called for snow so many times.  Even a big storm and nothing...NADA.   Well this time they said.. "oh a slight dusting"...well we woke up to almost an inch already.  Where did THIS come from??

I'm not complaining...I don't mind the snow at all.  We had already put everything snow related away.  This warm, HOT, warm, cold, really cold, freezing, hot, freezing, SNOW.

Really...

Mother Nature...

take some of THIS!!!

and let Spring start already mmkay???  Because we want to grill some groundhog!!  

What is weather like where you are today?? Let me know.

Hey all!! How ya been?

I've not disappeared, I promise!

So much has happened lately.  LIFE has happened.

I've started to Belly Dance and it's fun!

I have lost 50 lbs.

Re-found my love for reading.

I hope you all have not given up on me.  I wouldn't blame  you if you did.  I almost gave up on myself there for a while.  But I'm trying to get back.  It's been a battle and it still is.  But it's in progress.  And it's still going.  But at least all of it is still ongoing and I'm not giving up on me.  I can't.

I've missed you all.

March of Dimes

I am walking for the 2nd year in the March of Dimes, walk for babies even in Reston, Virginia.
This year we are walking on May 5th at 9am for 4 miles.

We really need some walkers for the team.  A few people had to drop out this year due to unforeseen circumstances and we will miss them dearly.  However if you cannot walk please consider donating to the cause. Remember even $1 helps.

Thanks for your help.

My silent protest (has now ended), but I will be just glad to see hockey.

I do apologize for my absence.  I was rather upset with the fact that the NHL lockout went on as long as it did.    It was truly unnecessary and could have been handled a lot quicker had egos been checked a the door  MONTHS ago.  I even got unfriended and blocked by the Capitals owner Ted Leonsis by voicing my displeasure about something too.  I guess he cannot take a criticism even if it wasn't even about him.  It was about the choices made about the season tickets themselves.  *shaking my head...even more still*

On a calmer note,  back to the lovely time being off from hockey we had the holidays that went well and all of the family in town is well and happy.  Those out of town are doing good as well and are very much missed this time of year.

Finally on January 19th the hockey gods answered our prayers and brought us back HOCKEY!!!!

The Capitals first HOME game was LAST night Tuesday February 22, vs the Winnepeg Jets.  ummmmm

yeah....they lost.  But to be perfectly honest, I really didn't care.  I was just glad to see hockey.

Granted it was sad that people actually "Boo"-ed the team last night was not a good thing.  But those must be the ones who are not used to this team usually starting out this way.  But I'll say it again.  I was just glad to  see hockey.  

With all that happened with the owners and players is between them and I'm sure we will pay for it again as long as Bettman is commissioner.  How many more times must this happen before people actually see this pattern to the problem? 

On a positive note I will end with this; 

I woke up happy this morning about this fact:  HOCKEY is really BACK (atleast for me). I missed it.

NHL Lockout Imminent...oh flipping great

Tick tock, tick tock all of us have heard the deafing noise of the CBA expiration clock. UGH.  As most of the fans roll their eyes, most of the band wagoners have already packed their bags and left. 

The NHL after last season is in a position it has never been in before to progress to a phenomenal state of fandom.  It has finally reached out so far that it is surpassing other past favorite American sports.  If and when this awful event [the lockout] occurs it will do terrible damage and who is to know if the sport will be able to recover. 

Donald Fehr (NHLPA) and Gary Bettman (NHL) have made many different statements over the past few days, some extremely vague and other stubborn to a fault.  Some of the many things said for a fact about all of this arguing from the owners side is that it’s NOT about revenue sharing it’s about what the players can be paid.  A quote that was rather interesting in reference to both sides is that ‘the players need to take a haircut and the owners need to ante up with some revenue sharing.” 

In a rare moment as well with all of these interviews and talks Gary Bettman admitted that he made mistakes with the last CBA.  Knowing at the time that 57% is too much and never would be re-agreed upon 7 years later.  Many commentators were taken back by the admission for sure and quick to report on it, which now make them all wonder in another 8 years what will he admit to then?  But after leaving the recent board of governors meeting on Thursday he stated that the “Owners unanimously agree to lockout without a new CBA”.  As an immediate response Donald Fehr said the players want to keep negotiating until an agreement is made and that they want to avoid a lockout.  But as of this morning [Friday] no additional meeting have been made.

The owners have asked players to cut their share of hockey-related revenue during a six-year proposal.  The current industry revenue is pegged at $3.3 billion annually (yeah, we said BILLION).  The owners sough to drop the percentage given to players to 43% from the current 57%.  They have since amended that six-year proposal that starts at 49% and drops to 47%.  However, the NHLPA countered by offering a package that starts at 54.3% and ends at 52.7%. 

Fehr says the players have made a responsible proposal offering what he calls “shared sacrifice”.  Under the league offer, the players’ share would be reduced “only 17.5 percent” said Fehr.  That equals to $330 million per year. 

“What would your reaction be in similar circumstances?” Fehr asked of everyone as he ended his statement.

In my opinion my view of Bettman:

In less than 2 hours this will be the new NHL Logo thanks to THAT man!

11 years later, The USA will NEVER FORGET

Enough Said!

Who you meet though the most interesting places...

I know usually if I'm posting a status on facebook around lunch time it's usually about how someone has been TOO LOUD, really rude to the staff or persons their with or even just being very vulgar so that everyone can hear and in most cases even see.

Well today I'm going to write a little bit on the people we sometimes meet in these happenings, like lunch.  I had lunch today in a small local sushi restaurant, I was just dying for some miso soup and hot green tea.  Well, the tables are arranged rather close together so if you are with other usually there is not a lot of privacy unless you ask for some and you are seated away from others.

I decided today to order some dessert.  Yes...there is dessert at sushi restaurants and it's NOT fish.  I ordered some red bean mochi ice cream.  For those that don't know, mochi ice cream is small balls of ice cream wrapped in sweetened glutonous rice.  It's delicious and usually comes in many different flavors.

Well this nice lady next to me had no idea what it was that I had ordered and when it arrived she asked me about it.  And after explained it to her we continued talking.

She asked me about my work and I asked her about hers.  She is a published local writer.  Her name is Cheryl Somers Aubin (click on her name for her webpage) and she wrote a book about the tree that survived 9/11 in NYC called  The Survivor Tree: Inspired by a true story  and all proceeds go to charity.   I highly recommend checking out her book on Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com 

She was an intriguing person and I was very glad I had the opportunity to talk to her and hope I get to do so again in the future. It certainly is amazing who we meet and can come across in out lives and how in just a few moments someone can impact you so much.

Balloons for Carter

Today my sister and I released blue balloons in the memory of dear little Carter Bucciero.

The picture is of me just before release. I'm working to see if I can up load the video.

We miss you sweet Carter, I will keep a kiss in my pocket always just for you.

A picture of me with the balloons and my Prayers for Carter (blue) bracelet

Our little video of the release!

Major Wake up call

It's rather amazing that it takes something so major to wake someone up.  Like myself.

I've had a VERY stressful past 12 months and so many things kept piling on.  Well on Monday everything figuratively came crashing down.

First I lost vision in my right eye for a short time, followed by a migraine headache.  Then while trying to pick out a pair of pants at the store for my hubby I found myself unable to verbally communicate with the salesperson.  And while waiting for my items my right arm/hand and right side of my face all went numb.

I decided to get some lunch and I also called my doctor.  To which in a very calm voice they told me to go to the ER as soon as possible.  Having no idea at the time why, I did what they told me.

In talking (as much as I could to the dr) he mentioned some severe PTSD and such but was concerned about my other symptoms and wanted to run test including a CT scan of my head.  

I was admitted (and to be honest I have no reference of time) other that I knew my hubby left to get the kids from daycare and Stephanie was an angel and helped with them.  Elyssa and my mom were also ANGELS in keeping me company and calm.

They kept me for 2 days and I got an MRI and EEG including visits from Occupational/Speech/Physical Therapy.  Even Psychiatry visited a few times too.

When I received my discharge papers on Wednesday everything finally started making sense.  My diagnosis was severe migraines.  But in reviewing the rest of the paperwork, I was admitted on the STROKE floor.  Yep, no wonder the Dr was frantic to get me to the ER on the phone...they thought I was having a stroke.

Well thank goodness I didn't.  But, I'm now back at home and getting some rest and doing what I can to get my head feeling back to normal.

I send much love to you all.

A new hockey blog on the www

Hey all....

Check out this new hockey blog on the www

Called:  HOCKEYSHOPPED

I am one of the writers for it and look forward to the fun it will bring.  You know you're gonna check it out!