Gaithersburg Book Festival, The Rapture, the Preakness and a Birthday Party

Saturday, May 21st, in Gaithersburg is the 2nd Annual l Gaithersburg Book Festival (click there for more info) at which we are all looking forward to.  We will be attending in downtown OldTowne Gaithersburg at the site of the City Hall Grounds on Summit Ave., just off Rt 355, Frederick Rd. and by St. Martins Church there. The weather is expected to be beautiful, after a week of clouds and storms..although the worst bypassed us north and south of here this week. Book presentations, authors, workshops, discussions, poetry, and musical entertainment.  Free admission, parking around the area, in Old Towne, and shuttle bus from Lakeforest Mall.  See you there!  for a great day!

Saturday, May 21, 2011, 10 am - 6 pm.

Afterward, for Paul and me, a birthday/Preakness/Rapture Party of a dear friend and past RE client (Bonnie) of many years. I hope you will join us at the Book Festival!..I suspect you won't be disappointed! Art and literature soooo enrich our lives, and it's so fun, good, and expanding to reach out to the authors who have shared their lives with us, and to share our lives with them. And for them to teach us their skills and passions.

She Loved being brushed and cuddled, right up to the very end.

These are our two cats, Jasmine on the top of the chair, and Sushi below.

Sadly, we lost our 16 year old Sushi on Saturday evening to kidney failure, a battle she had been waging for weeks, but lost. Paul and I were with her when she passed over the Rainbow Bridge.

It was very difficult for us to say goodbye to her - she was such a sweet soul and such a good cat all her life.  It was almost as hard letting our adult "kids" know that she had passed on.  She brought us much joy, as well as lots of her lovely white hair all over our black clothes. 

Cats are Wonderful Friends

Gentle eyes that see so much,

paws that have the quiet touch,

Purrs to signal "all is well"

and show more love than words could tell.

Graceful movements touched with pride,

a calming presence by our side --

A friendship that takes time to grow --

Small wonder why we love them so.

And God asked the feline spiritPerhaps this is the reason why she became ill, and it was weeks before she passed.  But we decided early on that if she wasn't suffering, we would go the distance with her, and as it seemed to be, she went in her own time, at home, where she loved to be.

Are you ready to come home?

Oh, yes, quite so, replied the precious soul

And, as a cat, you know I am most able

To decide anything for myself.

Are you coming then? asked God.

Soon, replied the whiskered angel

But I must come slowly

For my human friends are troubled

For you see, they need me, quite certainly.

But don't they understand? asked God

That you'll never leave them?

That your souls are intertwined. For all eternity?

That nothing is created or destroyed?

It just is....forever and ever and ever.

Eventually they will understand,

Replied the glorious cat

For I will whisper into their hearts

That I am always with them

I just am....forever and ever and ever.

Author Unknown



FEELING PAIN EVERY TIME YOU PUMP?

This may help.  GasBuddy can locate the cheapest and most expensive gas stations around Maryland as well as other states around the country.
There also is a feature on that site where you can calculate how much a trip will cost you by factoring in the make and model of your car, and the distance to the final destination.

Announcing New Babies to the World!

While we don't have any new babies directly in our family, we have friends who do. It's so exciting and heartwarming.  This is baby Sebastian.

And with the new babies, come new Baby Names. While this isn't earthshattering news, I think most people find it interesting to see the most popular names of babies as the years go on.  The Social Security Administration has just announced the most popular names for 2010.

Top 10 Names for Girls:

1. Isabella
2. Sophia
3. Emma
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Abigail
8. Madison
9. Chloe
10. Mia

Top 10 Names for Boys:

1. Jacob
2. Ethan
3. Michael
4. Jayden
5. William
6. Alexander
7. Noah
8. Daniel
9. Aiden
10. Anthony

Top Five Trending Names for Girls:

1. Maci
2. Giuliana
3. Tiana
4. Quinn
5. Adalynn

Top Five Trending Names for Boys:

1. Bentley
2. Kellan
3. Knox
4. Enzo
5. Karter