My top IDOL fave was just voted off today. :o(
Here is the video of his goodbye performance. Made me cry a river!!!
He is such a talented guy, down to earth, reaches out to his fans both spiritually and musically. I am convinced that he is destined for an even more meaningful path, and that God has given him this opportunity to share with the world his amazing musical talent and to also share with the world what love for God can do for you.
I can't wait to see where he goes with his career and I can't wait to purchase his first album! ;o)
(maybe if I'm lucky I will be able to see him in the Summer IDOL Tour!)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Sad Anniversary today...
March 31, 1995 was a sad day indeed.
That was the day we lost an upcoming star, who was already a star outside of the US, but just starting to make her music more known by entering the English music industry. Although she was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, and truly spoke no Spanish until she started singing, she did not start her musical career well known in the US.
Selena Quintanilla Perez was born April 16, 1971 and was murdered March 31, 1995
I AM SO SAD right now....
I just still cannot believe that 17 years ago she was murdered heartlessly... She was such a beautiful person, inside AND out, had a voice that everyone loved!!! She never had a chance to show the world her full potential. She was only 23 years old. She had a music career that was just starting to bloom, a fashion line just starting to gain popularity, a husband and the goal to have a family... :'(
That was the day we lost an upcoming star, who was already a star outside of the US, but just starting to make her music more known by entering the English music industry. Although she was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, and truly spoke no Spanish until she started singing, she did not start her musical career well known in the US.
Selena Quintanilla Perez was born April 16, 1971 and was murdered March 31, 1995
I first heard her 2 "crossover" songs I could fall in love and Dreaming of you on the radio in the fall of 1995. I fell in love with her voice, and promptly went out and got her cd, not even knowing about what had happened to her just a few months before. I didn't hear about her death until the one year anniversary was being celebrated! I was so devastated cause I absolutely adored her music!!!
To be honest with you, I was just barely starting my senior year of high school when I started listening to her. I had already been taking Spanish classes in high school, but I truly started learning when I started both listening to her songs and trying to sing them, as well as start working in a restaurant with predominately Spanish speaking workers. The first song I actually learned to sing in Spanish was Selena's Bidi Bidi Bom Bom. :o)
I AM SO SAD right now....
I just still cannot believe that 17 years ago she was murdered heartlessly... She was such a beautiful person, inside AND out, had a voice that everyone loved!!! She never had a chance to show the world her full potential. She was only 23 years old. She had a music career that was just starting to bloom, a fashion line just starting to gain popularity, a husband and the goal to have a family... :'(
This picture was taken at the Houston Astrodome in February of 1995- her last live concert.
RIP SELENA QUINTANILLA PEREZ
4/16/71 - 3/31/95
♥♥♥Con Tu Adios Te Llevas Mi Corazon♥♥♥
SIEMPRE VIVERAS
Friday, March 30, 2012
Obama administration proposes changes to legal status applications
Obama administration proposes changes to legal status applications
According to this article, the process will change for undocumented immigrants with American spouses, which means they will not have to wait as long as before when they apply for their residency visa. Also, this change will allow spouses to make a claim of "extreme hardship,"
This is extremely good news for the thousands of families that are currently living in fear of separation, and even the families that have a father or mother currently being held in detention solely on the basis of their undocumented immigration status..
I am starting to become hopeful that my family can be reunited in the United States, after reading this. Life has been tiring not knowing what will happen with our family. My husband is desperate to come back to the US and work so that we can finally save money and live the life that we were planning on before. He is so desperate that he is willing to risk the possibility of getting his papers again by crossing illegally. I'm praying daily that he understands the dangers of that and changes his mind and realizes that it's not worth the risk nor the headache.
I will be watching news on this development VERY closely over the next few weeks and months!
According to this article, the process will change for undocumented immigrants with American spouses, which means they will not have to wait as long as before when they apply for their residency visa. Also, this change will allow spouses to make a claim of "extreme hardship,"
The Obama administration is proposing to make it easier for illegal immigrants who are family members of American citizens to apply for legal permanent residency. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security will post for public comment an administrative change intended to reduce the time illegal immigrants would have to spend away from their families while applying for legal status, officials said....but under the proposed change illegal immigrants could claim the time apart from a spouse, child or parent would create “extreme hardship” and allow them to remain in the U.S. as they begin the process.
This is extremely good news for the thousands of families that are currently living in fear of separation, and even the families that have a father or mother currently being held in detention solely on the basis of their undocumented immigration status..
I am starting to become hopeful that my family can be reunited in the United States, after reading this. Life has been tiring not knowing what will happen with our family. My husband is desperate to come back to the US and work so that we can finally save money and live the life that we were planning on before. He is so desperate that he is willing to risk the possibility of getting his papers again by crossing illegally. I'm praying daily that he understands the dangers of that and changes his mind and realizes that it's not worth the risk nor the headache.
I will be watching news on this development VERY closely over the next few weeks and months!
Square
I normally don't promote products that I'm not actually selling, but I had such a great customer service experience that I had to tell everyone about it!!
I'm talking about Square.
I first came across Square when the local coffee shop started using Square for credit card payments about the first of March. So I paid with my card, and then signed the slip on their Ipad with my finger... which I thought was pretty cool. Then there was the option to have my receipt emailed or sent to me via text message, so I opted for the text message. Probably 15 seconds later, I get that ring for a message on my phone, and low and behold- there was my receipt! ;o) Along with the message receipt was a link to download the free app for my Android phone that would allow me to open a tab and just have the merchant charge my card without me actually having to swipe it each time. So I downloaded the app, which was called Card Case. Pretty neat little app. I was surprised at how many different merchants near me were listed as accepting Square.
Anyway, I was easily able to set up my account, save my card information on my account, add a picture to my account (which is how the merchant can verify you are who you say you are), and save my favorite merchants to my card case.
However, I was running into a problem. I was unable to open a tab so that when I walked into the merchant I could just tell them to put it on my tab. So I emailed customer service on the 15th.. I received a prompt response, faster than the "up to 24 hours" stated on their website. And the response was not one of those cookie cutter form responses either:
Thanks for writing in. It sounds like you have experienced a small glitch with your mobile device. It is hard to say whether the cause of the glitch came from your mobile device or from the app itself. When these sort of problems occur, we like to recommend the following troubleshooting tips:
1.) Make sure that both your mobile device and the Square app are up-to-date.
2.) Log out of and back in to the app.
3.) Turn your mobile device off and on.
4.) Force quit the app on your device. You can find instructions on how to do so here: help.squareup.com/customer/
5.) Delete and and re-install the app. See Apple's support site (http://support.apple.com/kb/
Note: Deleting and reinstalling the app will have no impact on your Square account, as your data is stored on Square servers. Once you've deleted the app, you can simply reinstall and log back in to your account with the email address and password you already have to access all of your account information.
These tips should fix most problems. Feel free to write back in if you continue to have trouble.
Ok. I went back through and did each step that was suggested, but I was still having problems. So I emailed back (and I will post the rest of the conversation, mine in red and Square in blue):
I'm not sure what is going on, but I went down the list and did each item,
and I still am not getting the open tab selection. I have the Samsung Epic
smart phone with the Android OS through the Sprint Network... currently up
to date. I went into the coffee shop today, and still was not able to domore than just click on enable tab or view the details of the shop.
Thanks for writing in. What happens when you click on open tab? Typically when you click open tab you will become visible to the merchant and you will be able to tell the merchant to just put it on your tab.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
I wish I could get a screen shot... I don't get the "open tab" option. That's the problem. It only says "enable tab," and when I click on that it will say "tabs now enabled" but it doesn't change to "open tab." I do make sure that my gps and wireless are enabled as well, but that does not make a difference.
Thanks for your reply. Can you check that your location/GEO-location services are turned on? Thanks for your patience. I'm trying to see what might be the issue here.
Yes, each time I go to the location I make sure my GPS is on. I don't normally have it on, but will turn it on before I get to the location.
Thanks for your reply. Can you send any other details about what you are seeing?
There should basically be two options when you want to use your tab at a store.
1. If you are close to the location, you should be able to click on the card and press "My Tab." Then you should be able to slide the "Auto Open Tab" to "On."
2. If you are not close to the location, you will see some sort of a message that says "X mi away, too far to open tab."
Sometimes if you are not able to open a tab, but you are clearly at the location, it could either be because the GPS/location services within your mobile device is off or the merchant has an incorrect address listed. Sometimes within Android phones, there are multiple location settings. Just to make sure, can you do the following:
- Visit your location settings.
- Make sure your carrier locations are disabled.
- GPS should be the only option enabled.
Thanks for your patience on this. If you can try to open a tab anywhere else, or perhaps try again at the coffee shop, that would be most helpful. Any additional info will help us troubleshoot further
So after that last email, I continued to check daily, but hadn't had the opportunity to email back and let them know I was still having problems. But then over this past weekend I got a notification of an update available for Square, so I clicked on the update and it downloaded a new version of the app. I tried to open it when I was at home to see what the new app looked like, but since I did not have my wireless or my GPS turned on I was unable to open the app. Then yesterday I went to the coffee shop, and as I was on my way over there I turned on wireless and GPS, and as I got closer to the shop, I was able to open the app. It asked me to add my name to my profile picture, which it hadn't done before. Then when I clicked on the tab option it actually opened the tab. While I was there having my coffee, the owner said, "Wow. Your picture actually shows up now!" referring to her end of the app. All she needed to do was tap on my name and then add the order and tap pay- and in less than a minute I got a notification that I paid for my coffee! No more taking out my card each time I go in!!
Well, I wrote back to the Square customer service:
I just wanted to let you know that when I upgraded my square app to the new one, I was finally able to open my tab with no problem. I think it was an issue with my phone and the old app. As long as I have both my wireless and GPS activated, then my tab is opening automatically now when I go to the coffee shop. Thank you for trying to help me. I am very impressed with the level of service I received.
I was shocked, then, when the customer service rep responded within 10 minutes!
Thanks for writing back and letting me know. I'm so glad I was able to help you troubleshoot the issue.
If you run into any other questions along the way, please write back in.
To me that shows that Square is serious about business, and genuinely care about their customers. I am highly recommending to everyone that using Square, even if it's just for making payments to your favorite merchants, is the right way to go. The coffee shop owners think it's wonderful as well, and the rate for accepting credit cards seems to be very competitive to other merchant services that I have looked into. The card reader is so cute and surprisingly smaller than I thought it would be, and fits any smart phone, like Android powered ones and Iphones, as well as tablets like the Ipad. I may just end up with a merchant account with Square sometime soon for my Candle business!!!
I'm talking about Square.
I first came across Square when the local coffee shop started using Square for credit card payments about the first of March. So I paid with my card, and then signed the slip on their Ipad with my finger... which I thought was pretty cool. Then there was the option to have my receipt emailed or sent to me via text message, so I opted for the text message. Probably 15 seconds later, I get that ring for a message on my phone, and low and behold- there was my receipt! ;o) Along with the message receipt was a link to download the free app for my Android phone that would allow me to open a tab and just have the merchant charge my card without me actually having to swipe it each time. So I downloaded the app, which was called Card Case. Pretty neat little app. I was surprised at how many different merchants near me were listed as accepting Square.
Anyway, I was easily able to set up my account, save my card information on my account, add a picture to my account (which is how the merchant can verify you are who you say you are), and save my favorite merchants to my card case.
However, I was running into a problem. I was unable to open a tab so that when I walked into the merchant I could just tell them to put it on my tab. So I emailed customer service on the 15th.. I received a prompt response, faster than the "up to 24 hours" stated on their website. And the response was not one of those cookie cutter form responses either:
Thanks for writing in. It sounds like you have experienced a small glitch with your mobile device. It is hard to say whether the cause of the glitch came from your mobile device or from the app itself. When these sort of problems occur, we like to recommend the following troubleshooting tips:
1.) Make sure that both your mobile device and the Square app are up-to-date.
2.) Log out of and back in to the app.
3.) Turn your mobile device off and on.
4.) Force quit the app on your device. You can find instructions on how to do so here: help.squareup.com/customer/
5.) Delete and and re-install the app. See Apple's support site (http://support.apple.com/kb/
Note: Deleting and reinstalling the app will have no impact on your Square account, as your data is stored on Square servers. Once you've deleted the app, you can simply reinstall and log back in to your account with the email address and password you already have to access all of your account information.
These tips should fix most problems. Feel free to write back in if you continue to have trouble.
Ok. I went back through and did each step that was suggested, but I was still having problems. So I emailed back (and I will post the rest of the conversation, mine in red and Square in blue):
I'm not sure what is going on, but I went down the list and did each item,
and I still am not getting the open tab selection. I have the Samsung Epic
smart phone with the Android OS through the Sprint Network... currently up
to date. I went into the coffee shop today, and still was not able to domore than just click on enable tab or view the details of the shop.
Thanks for writing in. What happens when you click on open tab? Typically when you click open tab you will become visible to the merchant and you will be able to tell the merchant to just put it on your tab.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
I wish I could get a screen shot... I don't get the "open tab" option. That's the problem. It only says "enable tab," and when I click on that it will say "tabs now enabled" but it doesn't change to "open tab." I do make sure that my gps and wireless are enabled as well, but that does not make a difference.
Thanks for your reply. Can you check that your location/GEO-location services are turned on? Thanks for your patience. I'm trying to see what might be the issue here.
Yes, each time I go to the location I make sure my GPS is on. I don't normally have it on, but will turn it on before I get to the location.
Thanks for your reply. Can you send any other details about what you are seeing?
There should basically be two options when you want to use your tab at a store.
1. If you are close to the location, you should be able to click on the card and press "My Tab." Then you should be able to slide the "Auto Open Tab" to "On."
2. If you are not close to the location, you will see some sort of a message that says "X mi away, too far to open tab."
Sometimes if you are not able to open a tab, but you are clearly at the location, it could either be because the GPS/location services within your mobile device is off or the merchant has an incorrect address listed. Sometimes within Android phones, there are multiple location settings. Just to make sure, can you do the following:
- Visit your location settings.
- Make sure your carrier locations are disabled.
- GPS should be the only option enabled.
Thanks for your patience on this. If you can try to open a tab anywhere else, or perhaps try again at the coffee shop, that would be most helpful. Any additional info will help us troubleshoot further
So after that last email, I continued to check daily, but hadn't had the opportunity to email back and let them know I was still having problems. But then over this past weekend I got a notification of an update available for Square, so I clicked on the update and it downloaded a new version of the app. I tried to open it when I was at home to see what the new app looked like, but since I did not have my wireless or my GPS turned on I was unable to open the app. Then yesterday I went to the coffee shop, and as I was on my way over there I turned on wireless and GPS, and as I got closer to the shop, I was able to open the app. It asked me to add my name to my profile picture, which it hadn't done before. Then when I clicked on the tab option it actually opened the tab. While I was there having my coffee, the owner said, "Wow. Your picture actually shows up now!" referring to her end of the app. All she needed to do was tap on my name and then add the order and tap pay- and in less than a minute I got a notification that I paid for my coffee! No more taking out my card each time I go in!!
Well, I wrote back to the Square customer service:
I just wanted to let you know that when I upgraded my square app to the new one, I was finally able to open my tab with no problem. I think it was an issue with my phone and the old app. As long as I have both my wireless and GPS activated, then my tab is opening automatically now when I go to the coffee shop. Thank you for trying to help me. I am very impressed with the level of service I received.
I was shocked, then, when the customer service rep responded within 10 minutes!
Thanks for writing back and letting me know. I'm so glad I was able to help you troubleshoot the issue.
If you run into any other questions along the way, please write back in.
To me that shows that Square is serious about business, and genuinely care about their customers. I am highly recommending to everyone that using Square, even if it's just for making payments to your favorite merchants, is the right way to go. The coffee shop owners think it's wonderful as well, and the rate for accepting credit cards seems to be very competitive to other merchant services that I have looked into. The card reader is so cute and surprisingly smaller than I thought it would be, and fits any smart phone, like Android powered ones and Iphones, as well as tablets like the Ipad. I may just end up with a merchant account with Square sometime soon for my Candle business!!!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
American Idol 3/28/12
Were you as blown away by the performances by the top 9 as I was??? I mean HELLO?? BEST SEASON EVER!!!!
I am sooooo falling in love with Colton Dixon. Wow. He is totally my dream man- he can sing, he can play piano, he is Christian, and he is georgeous!!! LOL! Yup, I am totally crushing on him right now! ;o) His performance of "Everything" by Lifehouse made me cry. I ♥ that song, and he just... um, yeah. Made me cry, honest to goodness.
My second favorite performance of the night was Jessica Sanchez's rendition of "Sweet Dreams" by Beyonce. Wow, that girl has an amazing voice and control for her age!! She has shown consistency since her audition, and I have a feeling she will be in the top 3 at the very least!
Then I loved Joshua Ledet's performance of "Without you" by Mariah Carey. That performance also made me cry, and no, it was not because he started to break down. That song just hit a sensitive heart string with me, considering where my life is right now and how I am missing my husband right now. Yesterday was our 15 year wedding anniversary.
Anyway, my last favorite performance was Elise Testone's version of "Whole Lotta Love" by none other than Led Zepplin. What can I say? That girl knows how to ROCK!!! Amazing! ;o) She can sing just about anything and make it sound good.
But, Holy toledo, they ALL performed amazingly. I was SOOOO loving Heejun Han's performance of a song I have not heard before "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway, but it was so appropriate for his current situation, and he finally came out of his shell! Hollie Cavanagh sung that Carrie Underwood song "Jesus Take the Wheel" beautifully as well. Phillip Phillips did an amazing job with "Still Rainin" by Johnny Lang. Skylar Laine did amazing with that Miranda Lambert song "Gunpowder and Lead" which was another song I had not heard before (I'm not much of a country fan). And last but not least DeAndre Brakensick did very well with Eric Benet's "Sometimes I Cry."
Oh and the trios... they do just as well singing together as they do solo. I just absolutely loved the trio of Colton, Phillip, and Elise singing Fleetwood's "Landslide," "Don't Stop," and Stevie Nicks "Edge of Seventeen." Heejun, Joshua, and DeAndre singing the Michael Jackson songs "Pretty Young Thing," "Lady in My Life," and "Rock with You" was interesting. And the all girl trio of Hollie, Jessica, and Skylar of Madonna's "Like a Prayer," "Borderline," and "Express Yourself" was just amazing!!!
But in the end, I had to narrow it down to my personal favorites since the beginning. I voted for Elise, Jessica, and of course Colton! ;o) Those the three I want to see in the top 3. Those are the three that I see going all the way. I could say more, but I think I'll leave it at that! :o) If, sadly, you missed it, you should check out the performances at http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_11/performances/. :o)
Colton Dixon - Everything by Lifehouse
OMG, I am falling in love with Colton and his voice!!! LOL! March 28 is a special day for me anyway, because it is my wedding anniversary. This year we celebrated 15 years! Watching Colton perform on American Idol earlier made me cry- he sang a condensed version of this song, but did an equally amazing job, and it made me cry. I miss my husband so much right now. This is the first year we have been separated.
Ok, I know that this song is originally sung by Lifehouse, and I absolutely love that group. I also know the song was written as a Christian song. I think that is why I love it the most. The words make me think about how much I love my husband, as much as I love God. It's hard to be separated from the love of your life.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Couple Wins Suit, Doc Didn't Suggest Aborting Baby With Down Syndrome | LifeNews.com
I'm sorry. This is just a sad day. I guess it's OK to contemplate MURDER if someone is DISABLED, according to this:
Couple Wins Suit, Doc Didn't Suggest Aborting Baby With Down Syndrome | LifeNews.com
WTF???? I know I'm not the only person who is bothered by this outcome. Life is precious, no matter what. ALL children are gifts from God, and neither the courts nor doctors can tell us that it's alright to abort just because of a diagnosis of Down Syndrome.
Between this and that other case of the parents being stripped of their rights to keep their kids based solely on immigration status- I'm seriously re-thinking about staying in the US.
Couple Wins Suit, Doc Didn't Suggest Aborting Baby With Down Syndrome | LifeNews.com
WTF???? I know I'm not the only person who is bothered by this outcome. Life is precious, no matter what. ALL children are gifts from God, and neither the courts nor doctors can tell us that it's alright to abort just because of a diagnosis of Down Syndrome.
Between this and that other case of the parents being stripped of their rights to keep their kids based solely on immigration status- I'm seriously re-thinking about staying in the US.
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