My last getaway was several years ago with my son when we visited my former Army roommate at Fort Polk, La. and then drove into New Orleans pre-Hurricane Katrina. I loved it. It was one of the city’s I had always wanted to visit but never had. I’m so glad I went now. I think the best part, beside being on vacation with my son, was the great food. So Memphis should be just as much fun because we are staying downtown within walking distance from everything and I hear it has some kick ass BBQ.

Anyway be talking to ya when I get back from my trip.

I’ve seen the previous seasons of Tori and Dean before and I find them cute and quirky. However, this is the first season of Denise and I didn’t know what to think because of her notorious reputation. She is paparazzi stalked, especially since her bitter divorce from Charlie Sheen and her relationship with Richie Sambora, who was previously married to Heather Locklear.

I didn’t know what I would think of the girl, but you know what I find her appealing. Of cocurse she’s got it in her to be a bitch, what woman doesn’t, but the girl has guts. She is honest about who she is and makes no apoligies for it. The thing is you realize that she is first and foremost a caring mother and like a lot fo women she wishes to one day find happiness in a relationship. For now though she seems content staying home and being with her family.

Denise’s father moved in with her after her mother died last year. Denise has shared her sorrow and talked about how hard it’s been on her family. On the most recent episdoe Denise, her sister and father return to her parents home to go through her mother’s things. It’s the first time Denise has returned to the house since her mother lost her battle with cancer last year. SO on the episode the family goes through photos and clothing and Denise finds several pieces and takes them so she can do something special to keep her mother’s memory alive.

Denise used several pieces of her mother’s clothing and had memory bears made for her daughters. Wow, what a great idea. She wanted her daughters to know that a part of their grandmother would always be with them.

So after the show was over I did my homework and found several Web sites that offer memory bears. There are lots of sites and rather than name one it’s best if you search out which one that would work for you or better yet find a local seamstress that can make something. Anyway I think memory bears ( I saw dogs and cats too) are a great idea for a child or adult dealing with the loss of a loved one to keep a piece of the person they love nearby.

You may not be a fan of reality TV, but it’s like Denise says her life is complicated and she wanted to be able to tell her side of things. Good for you Denise for sharing your sorrow and offering an idea on how to keep the memories alive.

No I wasn’t a reporter back then. I was newly married and expecting a child. There isn’t much about 1993 I don’t remember because when your pregnant with your first child you tend to take in everything. I remember the loss and heartache felt and how the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers erased the livelihood and homes of thousands.

Floods have a way of bringing people together. I know it’s sad to say, but when there are people in need others do their part and step up. Hundreds of people are volunteering to help out so that all will not be lost.

There are many people out there asking the question “If you know the river floods, why do you live so close to it?”

People who have lived along the rivers their entire lives do it because they love it. They wouldn’t live life any other way. There are several who move close to the water only to learn later that it’s not the lifestyle for them, but rather a place to visit once in awhile.

Two of my parents good friends and neighbors had lived their entire lives in Grafton and in the Flood of ‘73 decided they had enough and moved to town. Francis and Everett were an older couple than my parents, but that didn’t matter, they formed a friendship that lasted a long time. The played cards together and we camped as famlies together and even though their lives changed they always kept in touch.

I remember the stories they would share about living in Grafton. They were carefree folks and that is part of the lifestyle when you live on the water. It’s how I think about people who live in along rivers without levees, especially in Grafton,to protect them. I don’t think moving ever changed that about them. River folk are carefree because they know that there is little they can do to change the waters direction so they can only go with the flow.

Although Francis died several years ago, Everett is still around. He met a nice woman and moved to Madison County.
Growing up in Jerseyville one of our neighbors had lived their entire lives in Grafton, but then in the Flood of ‘73, they decided it was enough and didn’t want to fight with nature anymore.

I like to save money when I can and I will often take coupons I don’t use and place them by a product in the store that someone else will buy. I like passing the savings on to others. Now when I have extra coupons I will take them to Walgreens and someone there will pass the savings on to someone else.

Well I would like to say that children learn their values at home and if they are choosing to become pregnant then they feel there is reason. Many young girls who get pregnant on purpose lack self esteem. They want to be loved and will do what they believe will bring them love. Life is not a “One Tree Hill” episode and you most likely not marry the boy who got you pregnant in high school and live happily ever after.

Yes, there are girls who accidently get pregnant. They never planned for it to happen — they only wanted to have the fun the precedes it. Why would so many girls choose to do such a thing and moreso were the boys aware of the actions?

As a mother of a teeange boy I talk with him about sex. I know he doesn’t want to hear it sometimes and I don’t want to say it, but it’s got to be done. I tell him that he should wait until he is much older. I also tell him that a girl who respects herself would also want to wait and that there is nothing wrong with it if he respects her. So far he agrees.

It may be awkward sometimes to talk about sex with your children, but I would rather have that awkward conversation and know what is going on in my childs life. I don’t believe a parent should ever say “not my son or daughter” because once you do they will do something to prove you wrong and it’s better to talk about it now than later when they are telling you that you will be a grandparent.

Since my son, Cole, started in the Alton School District he’s been involved in the music program. He began playing viola in the fourth grade, switched to the French horn in the fifth and took up the trombone in the sixth.

This year he started in the Marching 100 and will play the baritone at parades and during fall competitions. (for concert and jazz band he gets to keep playing the trombone.) He and the other 129 students have been in practice for the past three weeks. They meet twice a week, three hours a day and get a real workout. I didn’t realize how much until I took Cole to practice the other day and then stuck around to gather information for a story. (Check out the story and video next week in The Telegraph.)

Cole loves band. Although so far he says its a headache because he’s getting his a** worked off. I say good for him, because so many people think band students don’t do anything and the reality is they do one hell of a job to get ready before a performance.

Cole loves music in general. Every night I am listening to his talent in some ways. He plays guitar almost every night. He also has several other instruments he messes around on, including the bass, harmonica, banjo and keyboard.

I encourage his enthusiasm in music. I believe music education helps young minds to develop creativity and express their emotions.

Studies show that early music training can enhance a child’s ability to reason and think critically. Children exposed to music at a young age learn better is subjects such as math and often score significantly higher on reading tests. Not everyone has athletic ability and music is an alternative that also allows students to build self-esteem.

I applaud Alton School District and Alton Band and Orchestra Builders (ABOB) for continuing to encourage youth to participate in such programs and supporting them.

The band is practicing for a chance to win $10,000 on July 4 at the Veiled Prophet Parade in dowtown St. Louis. The parade’s theme this year is “Let’s party” so why not come and see how great these kids really are and party with the rest of the area on America’s birthday.

Since our first episode we’ve faced the difficulty of providing music to correspond with our production. However, Jill and I are trying to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, which involves copyrights and royalty free stuff, but will keep hammering away
until we figure it out. Hopefully it will not take too much longer. So if any of you know of of local musicians who would be willing to record us a theme song that we could use that would be great too.

This week’s episode is about what women like to drink when they are out and about and what they drink might say about their personality or mood. We met a lot of wonderful women who are truly “Fab Femmes.” So go and check us out.

Remember we want your feedback so let us know what you think.

When my brother and I were growing up and we would complain about the heat my mother would often say that it wasn’t anything like when she was a kid. Let’s face it nothing is ever going to be like what it was back then. Technology has thrust us into living in an age without patience.

When we are hot we want to cool down fast and air conditioners provide us the luxury. However, I can count the numerous times when I was a kid how my parents never turned on the air conditioner because they felt we didn’t need it and we could turn the attic fan on (at night only) to stay cool. When I was my son’s age my parents put a pool in the backyard (it was an above ground with a wrap around deck my dad built) and my mother would tell my brother and I to go for a swim if we wanted to cool off. Well that was OK during the day, but at night when you’re trying to sleep — it’s misery.

Fast forward 20+ years. I like the air conditioning, but every now and then I miss swimming in a pool at night and then laying in front of an open window with the attic fan on and allowing the warm breeze to flow across the top of my bed. There are many things that remind me of my childhood, but nothing beats swimming on a hot night and when you don’t have a pool it makes you miss it that much more.

The show kicks off with us reviewing women’s style and fashion at the Duck Race, which was during the business after hours event hosted by the Riverbend Growth Association at Raging Rivers in Grafton. We believe it’s the start of the summer fashion season and was a great place to look for women with style.

Jill and I plan to look at fashion in the Riverbend and the fabulous females who wear it well. We plan to visit local shops, tell you where to get the buy the “must have items” and find fashion on a budget.

Since we are new to video, please keep that in mind when you start to criticize us. As time goes on we only hope to get better.

We have all kinds of shows in mind, but if you’ve got any ideas about women and what you might like to watch — give us shout, maybe we will be able to work something out.

My mother isn’t someone who feels it necessary to fix up her single daughter. She knows I can handle myself so she doesn’t impose on my life. However, my teenage son thinks nothing of saying things to me on a daily basis about dating — or the lack that I don’t.

Lately he’s been concerned because it’s been more than one year since I’ve been on a date. I get so caught up in work, spending time with friends and other activities I don’t think much about it.

He tells me he thinks I’m going to die alone. I said well I’ve got a long way to go before that (at least that’s my plan) and who knows what will happen by then.

When my son was younger and I first got divorced I rarely dated. As he got older I started wading into the dating pool, but I kept that part of my life private . In the 12 years since I’ve been single he’s only met two men I dated. He was OK with one, but the other he didn’t like because of the lack of respect he felt the man showed me. (I will not say exactly what happened, but you should never compare the selection on a wine rack with a woman’s anatomy.)

I guess one of the reasons I don’t date that often is that I don’t feel it necessary to parade men through my life if I’m not that interested in them. I wanted to teach my son that I have respect for myself and do not need a man to define who I am.

I am a hopeless romantic and would like to meet a nice man, but I think a woman should know her self worth first before making a commitment. I’m already a marital statistic and don’t plan on becoming another one anytime soon. The percentage of divorce for second marriages is higher than that of first marriages.

My BFF Michael thinks I should just go out and explore the world of men, but I’m not so sure. They say timing is everything and so far it’s not been my time.