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UPDATE: It was hard for Ronda to get any type of reading on the judges. She felt confident and sang very well – but in a cattle call of thousands, the judges appeared glazed over with her entire audition group. The most difficult part of this whole thing – it’s now a waiting game. She won’t find out if she made it until late March or early April!

I sometimes joke that when I moved to Atlanta, I found and then married a true Southern Belle and it was the best move I’ve ever made.

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been married for almost 14 years now. The time sure has flown by and we’re more in love with each other than the day we were married.

One of the best parts about our life together is how we support each other. Our vows to love, honor, and cherish mean just as much to her as they do me. That’s not to say we always agree, (we are individuals) but we do support each other no matter what that choice may be. Marriage and vows actually mean something to both of us and that’s a trait that’s hard to find in this day and age.

She said that I was the one who swept her off her feet when we first met. I gave her self-confidence back, and helped her with that “can do” attitude again. Oddly enough, I think it was just the opposite. The fact that this gorgeous, talented woman picked me to not only hang with but take care of makes me grateful to this day.

I’ve never been a big fan of reality shows, or talent shows on TV. I’d much rather watch paint dry than spend time watching American Idol. (As much as I love Steven Tyler and the music of Aerosmith – sorry.) However, there may be a change in interest this season.

See, my super model, super talented wife (at least she’s been that for me that last 14 years) is heading down to Atlanta tomorrow morning to try out for America’s Got Talent.

How cool is that?!

While her best talents have been reserved for here at home, taking care of her family the last 14 years, she’s got the voice of an angel that she wants to share with the rest of the world. Hopefully she’ll be singing for America during this upcoming season doing what she truly enjoys in her heart.

Both of us grew up and spent our early adult life entertaining. Theater and radio are on both our early resumes. Ronda also won several pageants here in Georgia and spent time singing across the state when she won contests in her teens.

Like so many of us, the days of “dreaming” were somehow replaced with “reality” and our lives took on a new direction and new meaning to conform with the rest of society. I’ve always known about her dreams because we’ve talked about her desire to sing many times over the years. Singing is what she truly wanted to do. We’ve talked about it, and she would consider it, but this is the first time she’s actually pulling the trigger to go after it.

And I couldn’t be more thrilled because it’s truly what she wants to do.

As her husband, I was the first to hear about her desire to sing for this show. When she asked, my first reaction was “you could crush this”, and while I never pushed, I always supported this direction because I know how happy she is singing. The desire grew as she researched and thought about songs to sing for the audition. Before long, other family members and neighbors began to hear about her audition and intent.

The family has always known about her voice, and when neighbors and friends heard her sing, they too became supporters.

It’s yet to be determined if the judges here in Atlanta will also become supporters, or if the judges on the show will give her an opportunity to travel to Las Vegas and Hollywood to let the rest of America decide. She’s committed to the challenge however, and no matter what happens over the course of the next few months with the show, she’s going after her dreams.

Joseph Campbell said it best in his quote “Follow your bliss.”

I couldn’t be happier nor prouder of her. She deserves it.

Congratulations Princess, I love you and you certainly have my vote!

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There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine’s Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine”. Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine.

Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. There was often a social gathering or a ball.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine cards. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800′s and now the date is very commercialized. The town of Loveland, Colorado, does a large post office business around February 14. The spirit of good continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

Valentine’s Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl’s name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Marry??! Maybe my daughter needs to stay home today!

For those of you who may be wondering if John Frenaye and I exchanged Valentines today…not even an e-card. While I can’t speak for John’s wife, I would assume however that both our wives would find a way to recreate the St. Valentines Day Massacre of 1929 if flowers, cards, or Kool-Aid were exchanged. I wouldn’t want to replace rival names like Al “Scarface” Capone and George “Bugs” Moran in the history books!

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There are many opinions as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that it was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. In any event, in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages and St.Valentine became a patron saint of lovers. In the 1840s, Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for sending the first Valentine cards. The spirit of love continues as valentines are sent with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

Looking for Love

• 188 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.)

• Over 50 percent of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine’s Day a procrastinator’s delight.

• Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine’s Day by purchasing a greeting card.

• There are 119 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages.

• There are 34 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) age 65 or older for every 100 single women of the same ages.

• 904: The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2005. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.

Be Mine

• 2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.

• 147,300 marriages are performed in Nevada during 2005. So many couples “tie the knot” in the Silver State that it ranked fourth nationally in marriages, even though it’s total population that year among states was 35th.

• The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men are 25.3 and 27.1 respectively, in 2005. The age for women rose 4.2 years in the last three decades. The age for men at first marriage is up 3.6 years.

• Men and women in northeastern states generally have a higher median age at first marriage than the national average. In Massachusetts, for example, women were a median of 27.4 years old and men 29.1 years of age at first marriage. States where people typically marry young include Utah, where women were a median of 21.9 years and men, 23.9 years.

• 57% and 60% of American women and men, respectively, are 15 or older and currently married (includes those who are separated).

• 72%: The percentage of men and women ages 30 to 34 in 2005 who had been married at some point in their lives – either currently or formerly.- 4.9 million opposite-sex cohabitating couples maintained households in 2005. These couples comprised 4.3 percent of all households.

Candy is Dandy!

• 1,241: The number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2004. These establishments employed 43,322 people. California led the nation in the number of such establishments with 136, followed by Pennsylvania with 122. (Source:http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/cbptotal.html)

• 515 locations produced non chocolate confectionery products in 2004. These establishments employed 22,234 people.

• The total value of shipments in 2004 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products was $13.9 billion. Non chocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $5.7 billion industry.

• 3,467 Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2004. Often referred to as candy stores, they are among the best sources of sweets for Valentine’s Day.

• The per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2005 was 25.7 pounds. Candy consumption has actually declined over the last few years; in 1997, each American gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year.

Flowers

• The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2005 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $397 million. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for nearly three-quarters of this amount ($289 million).

• The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2005 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales was $39 million. Among all types of cut flowers, roses were third in receipts ($39 million)to lilies ($76.9 million) and tulips ($39.1 million).

• There were 21,667 florists nationwide in 2004. These businesses employed 109,915 people.

Jewelry

• There were 28,772 jewelry stores in the United States in 2004. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2006, these stores sold $2.6 billion worth of merchandise. (This figure has not been adjusted for seasonal variation, holiday or trading day differences or price changes).

• The merchandise at these locations could well have been produced at one of the nation’s 1,864 jewelry manufacturing establishments. The manufacture of jewelry was an $9 billion industry in 2004

Looking for Love? Try looking here…

Valentine, NE
Valentine, TX
Loveland, CO
Lovejoy, GA
Lovelock, NE
Love Valley, NC
Loveland, OH
Loveland Park, OH
Loveland, OK
Lovelady, TX
Loves Park, IL
Loving County, TX
Lovington, NM
Loving, NM
Love County, OK
Lovington, IL
Romeo, CO
Romeo, MI
Romeoville, IL
Sacred Heart, MN
Heart Butte, MT
South Heart, ND

• 21: Number of places named “rose”. The red rose has long been a symbol of romantic love. Rose Hill, VA., is the most populous, with more than 15,000 residents.
  

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