My Wedding Day HIV/ AIDS Ribbon

The CDC warns that over 1 million Americans are living with the HIV virus today.  250,000 of them are unaware of their condition.  In conjunction with National HIV Testing Day, June 27, 2009, the Fredericksburg Area HIV/ AIDS Support Services will be holding an open house on Friday, June 26, 2009 from 9am-5pm.  The staff will be offering free HIV testing, food, education, and fun.  For more information click here. 

Testing is quick and easy.  An oral swab is used to gather saliva and then is analyzed to detect antibodies that are being produced.  Results are back within 3 days and results are shared at a follow-up appointment. 

HIV/ AIDS is a virus that sees no color, no age, no sex, no nationality, no religion, and no sexual orientation.  It is preventable, but not curable.  The virus has early symptoms like the flu – headache, fever, sore muscles and joints, swollen lymph nodes, stomach ache, and sometimes a skin rash.  During the initial stages of the virus you will not test positive.  It takes a few weeks to a few months for your body to start producing the antibodies that are detected by the HIV/ AIDS test.    

My father passed away on September 17, 1996 due to complications from the AIDS virus.  He lived 5 short years after being diagnosed with the disease.  His symptoms showed up as the Shingles virus in February 1991.   He was 52 when he died.  I was 17.  He missed my high school graduation, my college graduation, meeting and approving of my future-husband, my wedding, and my future children will never meet their maternal-grandfather.  There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss him and wish that he could know how I’ve turned out.  Medicine has changed in the past 13 years.  So many advances have been made.  Quality and quantity of life is enhanced by early detection.  5 years wasn’t long enough to say goodbye.  5 years only gave me enough time to know how much I loved him and how much I would miss him.  For your family, for your friends, for yourself… get tested.

I will be walking in honor of my father this Sunday, June 28, 2009 at the AIDS Walk/ Run 5k at the Cannon Ridge Golf Course.  After finding out about my father, someone once said to me, “We don’t get to pick our parents.”  My response, “If I could, I still would have picked my dad.”  I am walking for regret, love, and hope.  I am walking for my father.

(You can still register to particpate at Virginia Runner in Central Park on June 27 10am-5pm or on race day at Cannon Ridge starting at 7am.  FredStock will be starting at Cannon Ridge at 11am in conjunction with the AIDS Walk/ Run 5k.  Music starts at 11am and ends at 8pm.  Concert is free, but donations are accepted.  Bring chairs and blankets, but coolers are prohibited).

I hope you all have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Have a Coke Day!  This is a very popular holiday among my followers on Twitter, so I decided to share it with my blog readers.  Take some time today to savor the caffeinated goodness that is a Coke! 

Did you know that Coke is not just for drinking?  There are several ways to use this carbonated masterpiece around the house.  (If you decide to try any of these, you can not hold me liable.  Just Sayin’). 

To clean a toilet:
Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl. Let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

Clean blood stains from clothes
Saturate the blood stain with Coca-Cola, let sit five minutes, then launder as usual. Coke removes blood from clothing—even dried blood that has gone through the washing machine and dryer.

To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:
Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

To clean corrosion from car battery terminals:
Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. It will also clean windshield haze.

To loosen a rusted bolt:
Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

To remove grease from clothes:
Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

Clean rust in a bathtub:
Saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca-Cola and scrub the rust stain. The phosphoric acid in the Coke removes rust.

Clean milk stains from clothes
Saturate the milk stains with a can of Coca-Cola, let the garment sit for five minutes, then launder in your regular wash.

Clean eyeglasses
The phosphoric acid cleans the grunge from eyeglasses, then rinse with water.

Clean tarnished pennies
Fill a drinking glass with Coca-Cola and drop in the pennies. Let sit for one hour, then wipe clean with a soft cloth.

(Coke use suggestions supplied by Gone-To-Pot) 

Are you looking for some ideas of ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Fredericksburg?  Here are a few places to try:

J. Brian’s – Located at 200 Hanover Street.  Features a special Irish menu on St. Patrick’s Day. Get your fill of corned beef and cabbage while sipping your favorite brew!  Get there early, this place fills up!

Colonial Tavern – Located at 405 Lafayette Blvd.  Always Irish, all the time.  The standard menu features Irish treats and there is always a song to be heard.  A more limited menu will be featured on March 17th, but be sure, it will be delicious! 

The Blarney Stone – Located at 715 Caroline Street.  Becoming an Irish staple in Fredericksburg.  The Blarney Stone features a smoke free restaurant in the front and a smoking section in the back.  Irish fare is what you will be served here, so bring a hearty appetite! 

Capital Ale House – located at 917 Caroline Street.  Offers a 21 and over celebration starting at 5pm.  10 different Irish and Scottish Ales will be on tap.  An Irish menu will be featured and there will be live music. 

Enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day festivities, but remember to celebrate responsibly!

A day dedicated to one of the greatest inventions of all time.  But, somehow I always manage to be without my umbrella on a rainy day.  I have them stashed everywhere, yet, I can never find one.

I am proud to be an alumna of Alpha Phi Fraternity which has promoted awareness for Cardiac Care and Research since 1946.  Being a part of an organization that has raised more than $1 million toward this cause has been a lifestyle changing experience for me.  Heart Disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States.  One in four women will die from Heart Disease while one in thirty will die from breast cancer.  Risk factors for Heart Disease include:  high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, being overweight, being inactive, having a family history of early heart disease, and just being a women over the age of 55.  However, four simple lifestyle changes can reduce your risk for Heart Disease by up to 82%:  eating right, being physically active, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight.  If you are making choices that put you at a greater risk for Heart Disease then today is the day to make your heart a top priority.  Your family and friends need you to have the healthiest heart possible.

Oh what would we do without our weatherpersons?  Funny thing about Fredericksburg area weather is that it’s not actually for Fredericksburg.  We either get Sterling, Virginia weather forecasts, Richmond, Virginia forecasts, or Washington, DC weather forecasts.  So, if a Fredericksburgian (did I just make up a word?) never looks prepared for the weather, there’s a reason.  We don’t know what the weather will be!

Once again Americans mess, I mean, enhance, with the original.  February 2 was also celebrated in Roman times, but not as Groundhog Day.  Hedgehogs are predominate in Europe and every February 2 the hedgehog would emerge from hibernation and predict the winter/ spring season.  If the hedgehog saw it’s shadow, then there were 6 more weeks of winter.  Since there are no native hedgehogs in the Americas, we adopted the groundhog as our most accurate weather predictor.  (Didn’t think you’d get a history lesson here, did you?)

On a bit of a side note, I owned a pet hedgehog in college.  It is very similar to owning a hamster except the hedgehog has a few bad habits.  Their spikes are very sharp and they aren’t afraid to use them!  They also take spit baths which are just gross!  But all in all, Blanche the Hedgehog was a fantastic college pet!

Oh, how I love a good piece of bubble wrap.  The joy and sense of accomplishment of snapping each little bubble.  The Feeling of anticipation as you press each bubble firmly.  There’s nothing like a good piece of bubble wrap! 

Oh, pie day!  I do love a good pie!  My favorite is Chocolate Chess Pie from The Angus Barn in Raleigh, NC.  Icecream and whipped cream on top is a must!  What’s your favorite pie?