All Stars - by Kristy

Last weekend Raleigh, North Carolina played host to the NHL All Star weekend. Enemies became teammates as the best of the league competed in the game Sunday. This year two players, Lidstrom and Staal, were selected as captains. On Friday night they drafted their teams.

Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs was put in the bittersweet position of being picked last. He remained classy and jokingly pointed out that being picked last among all these All Stars is no insult. He received a brand new car and a hefty donation to his favorite charity in his name to mend any hurt he might have been feeling deep down.

The game Sunday was back and fourth and even though Team Staal looked ready to dominate as they took an early lead, Team Lidstrom took the game with a final score of 11-10.

The All Star game is something great for the league and fans alike. Players have a blast with it, and fans can always count on a great show from their favorite players.

Hope for Haiti - by Monica

For just a $2 raffle ticket, you could win a $50 gift card to Lowe’s, a half-hour massage at Terri King Salon, a pedicure at Avanti Salon, $80 in Mary Kay products, a $30 gift card to Bahama Breeze, a $25 gift card to Mesquite Creek, a platinum detail to Honda Bloomfield and one from Toyota Waterford, a $25 gift card to the Oxford boutique Pink and Charlie, a $25 gift card to the clothing store Ella, tanning from the Tan Company in Oxford, 10 car washes from Imperial Wash and a 10-person bowling party at Airway Lanes.

Bonus: all of the money sold from the tickets goes to a group of six volunteers' trip to Haiti to rebuild an orphanage over there and also to medication and food for Haitians.

The United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti has reported that only 40 percent of money raised for Haiti in 2010 has been distributed, and only 15 percent of needed temporary housing has been built.

Members of Cornerstone Community Church, 2611 Dixie Highway, Waterford Township realized that, a year after the earthquake in Haiti, the only way to guarantee their help would be received by Haitians was to travel there themselves.

For more information about how you can enter the raffle, read the original Oakland Press article

A bright future - by Monica

Read original article by Annette Kingsbury at The Oakland Press.

I'm not sure if anybody listened to the State of the Union address last night by President Barack Obama. But, if you did, you would have noticed that one of the states he had mentioned was the state of Michigan.

How would you feel to be mentioned in a president's speech?

Well, this is exactly what happened for Robert Allen and his brother Gary of Oakland Twp. They own Allen Brothers Inc., a roofing company started by their father in Rochester Hills in 1950. In 2007, the brothers founded Luma Resources to market what they believe will be a breakthrough in solar roofing -- an easy-to-install kit designed for residential use.

Obama used them as an example to show how imagination and ideas like the Allen brother's are what will change America's economy.

"We should not celebrate the Super Bowl champion, but the winner of the science fair," said Obama.

To me, this showed that everyone needs to be celebrated for their imaginations. Because the youth's imagination is what our country will survive off of. Kids will praise football players and call the winner of the science fair a nerd. But that winner of the science fair could be the next Bill Gates, the next person to change the face of our economy, the next person to change the world.

Affordable Splurges - by Kristy

A story I found here on Yahoo! News listed 12 hot-list high-tech gadgets that have prices which continue to drop. Be sure to check out this great article and make note of which items you might be able to cross off your wish list at a great price!

Remember This... - by Kristy

Today I read a quote online that really spoke to me. It said, "It is far better to be exhausted from success than rested from failure".

Lately with all that I've had going on in my life, that felt good to read. It is a reminder that even when you feel like your mind is on overload, it's all worth the stress. Even if you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, keep pushing, because it's there. :)

MLK Day - by Kristy

Martin Luther King Day is a holiday to recognize and honor the historic figure who paved the way for change and activism with civil rights. His speeches and passion make him one of the most inspiring people in United States history.

Lucky penguin - by Monica

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here's some oddball news of the day, sure to put a smile on your face haha.

My favorite is the first one -- a penguin who jumps on a snow lion's back.

Penguins are my favorite animal (as many of my friends know who gave me penguin necklaces, penguin socks and penguin nail files for Christmas haha). So, when I saw this, I just had to share it.

This penguin was definitely in a bad situation that could have ended badly. The penguin narrowly missed a bite on the tush by an angry and tired sea lion five times its size.

The penguin mistook the sea lion for a rock...well, until the sea lion started moving, that is.

This penguin is like all of us. We all make mistakes, do things before thinking about it first. But, in order to survive in this world, we just need to keep moving forward and not look back at our mistakes. And, in the mean time, maybe we can keep others from making the same mistakes as we have. Because hey, if others see you jump on a sea lion's back, they sure won't make the same mistake. Maybe that's the point of making mistakes -- to use those lessons to help those around you.

Afterall, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.



image credit: Penguin photos

Focus on life, not death - by Monica

Photo credit: WTNH News 8
Read original article on AOL News by Ben Muessig.


This week has been a pretty depressing one -- with death on the tips of many people's tongues after the Arizona shooting.

This made finding happy news tough -- and all the more necessary -- to know that even with sad news, there is still hope in the world.

And even with death, there is still life. Sometimes, we focus so much on the tragedies, of those who have died, that we forget to notice the lives that begin.

On any given day in the United States, about 10,657 babies are born (according to the US Census). According to the World Fact Book, the death rate is 8 to every 1,000 people and the birth rate is 20 to every 1,000 people. That means, no matter how much death we hear about, there is still more life in this world than there is death.

And here is one story about little Rosa, who came in to the world early yesterday morning.

Get this -- she was born on 1/11/11 at 1:11 a.m. Flora was born at that exact time, a birthday always easy to remember.

But Flora's mother was more focused on having her baby girl in her arms than what the time was on the clock.

Every person in this world has a story to tell, and every birth is a blessing, whether born at 1/11/11 at 1:11 a.m. or born on Friday the 13th like I was.

Baby Born at 1:11 on 1/11/11: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Gratitude - by Kristy

Gratitude is something special. It's a helpful trait to have in life. An article I found on Yahoo, which can be read using this link, showcases the importance of teaching gratitude to kids. Learning from a young age can lead to benefits for their positive outlook and mindset in the future.

As the article states, it's one thing to be polite and have manners. However, it's an entirely different thing to be truly thankful. Learning to appreciate things is important in life.

You can learn how to more consciously feel gratitude by thinking of at least one positive thing that happened to you at the end of every day. Making this into a daily routine should help steady your mood and increase positivity.

"Bar church" - by Monica

View the original article by Associate Press writer Patrick Condon at theoaklandpress.com.

I would love to live in a world without judgment.

And, of all places, I have found that many people consider churches to be the most judgmental of them all. It is a new year -- time to look forward instead of back. But it's hard when there are people who keep bringing up your past.

It was reported that over 91 percent of people who stopped attending a given church, stopped attending because of conflict and gossip.

Minnesota resident Chris Fletcher is looking to change this trend by creating a place people can go and not be judged.

He created a "Bar Church" a few months ago at Dunnigan's Pub & Grub where he has been leading weekly service. Fletcher is a paramedic, part-time bartender and seminary student.

This is not a place people would normally think of a church to be -- at a bar. But why not? Fletcher said he likes the informality and, he believes, if Jesus were alive today, these would be the kind of places he would share his message at.

I feel like we could learn from Fletcher. No matter where we go, whether work or school or the corner bar, we should make those around us feel like they belong.

Inspiring Places - by Kristy

Traveling is a great way to gain perspective and appreciate the world around us. A story on Yahoo showcased ten of the most inspirational places to visit. They are:

Big Sur, California


Crater Lake National Park


French Quarter, New Orleans, La.


Monument Valley, Utah


Yosemite National Park, California


Freedom Trail, Boston, Mass.


Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall, Washington, D.C.


Monticello, Charlottesville, Va.


Little Round Top, Gettysburg, Penn.


Timberline Lodge, Oregon

Please check out the entire story with pictures and destination descriptions by clicking here.

Clean Slate - by Kristy

Now that 2011 is here, it's the perfect chance for a fresh start. It's a holiday to take advantage of making positive changes in your life. Setting goals is a key part of finding happiness and success. Whether your resolutions are big or small, they are still important.


Click here to see a great story on the projected improvement in the job market for 2011.