A...B...C...

THE ABC'S OF THIS FREEBIRD

because who doesn't dig a survey every now and then?!?

I got my hair done today, by the way...

A. Age: 23
B. Bed size: I'm a QUEEN!!!
C. Chore you hate: Vaccuuming!! Hate is an understatement.
D. Dogs: Millie :)

E. Essential start to your day: Caffeine - (Coffee or a Mello Yello or a Coke)
F. Favorite color: TURQUOISE!
G. Gold or silver: Depends on what it is. I'm a David Yurman girl so I dig the two-tone, but my future husband will know that I want a white-gold/platinum band for my bling! ;)
H. Height: 5'3
I. Instruments you play: Air guitar & I'm a pretty mean drummer on the dashboard!
J. Job title: Unemployed... I'm trying, y'all!
K. Kids: Someday...  But I have a little baby niece or nephew on the way!!!
L. Live: The Sunshine State
M. Mom’s name: Cheryl
N. Nicknames: Bear, Bob, B-Bop, Bee, and Queen Bee
O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was little, a few...
P. Pet peeve: Being ignored; people clicking pens/tapping feet when others are trying to concentrate; KICKING MY CHAIR AT THE MOVIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Q. Quote from a movie/show: 
"I know you think those guys are your friends. You wanna be a true friend to them? Be honest, and be unmerciful." -Lester Bangs, Almost Famous
R. Righty or Lefty: Righty! (But soccer-wise, I can strike the ball with both feet, just better with my natural right side!)
S. Siblings: I am the Little Sissy out of us two girls. Just the two of us. Spoiled rotten :)

But she married a super-cool guy named Tyler and gave me an awesome brother!
T. Time you wake up: I'm in the process of getting on a stricter sleep schedule and waking up earlier (so that when I do get that job I'll be able to be up and at it) so I'm trying for 8:30 but it's been 9 here lately.
U. Underwear: Victoria's Secret PINK collection.  I'm a boyshorts fan!
V. Vegetables you dislike: PEAS! Ewwwww.
W. What makes you run late: My Attention Deficit Disorder ;)
X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, MRI on my knee, endoscopys, CAT Scan.  I mean, come on... just check "all that apply"
Y. Yummy food you make: I'm the Queen of "dips" and "spreads" amongst my friends!

Z. Zoo animal favorite: ELEPHANTS! Roll Tide!  

Well that was fun! And way less annoying than the 200-question ones that used to go around AOL and Hotmail and all my other middle school email engines! Ha.

I love answering questions and writing down lists!

Is there anything you'd like to ask me?  I'm OPEN BOOK, so ask away!!!

CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING?

Do you know how harmful it is to use the R-Word?

If you knew it hurt the feelings of so many creative & loving souls would you still use the word?  Or would you try to remove it from your vocabulary - like I have?

If you know me in "real life" then you knew how passionate I am about this campaign:

SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD

at http://www.r-word.org/

would you help support this cause?

stop using the r-word & pledge!

today is national awareness day

THANKS, lovelies!!!

If you take the pledge you get

THREE (3) EXTRA ENTRIES

into my giveaway!!!!

PEACE AND LOVE

ALWAYS

BAILY  

today and always i am a server

"How far you go in life depends on

your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged,

sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak & strong.

Because someday in life you will have been all of these."

-George Washington Carver

"May I be medicine for the sick and weary.

May I be their doctor and their nurse until the sickness appears no more.

May I quell the pains of hunger and thirst with rains of food and drink.

May I be a torch for those in need of light, a bed for those in need of a bed,

and a servant for those in need of service."

-Shantideva

"You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments that stand out

are the moments when you have done things for others."

-Henry Drummond

"Love is the best friend of humankind,

the helper and the healer of all ills that stand in the way of human happiness."

-Plato

This past week I have been moved by a tremendous amount of things.

Some good, some bad, but all part of the game of life.

The good, though, has been to see the smiling faces of all the children I am around

throughout my coursework.  The children that are typically developing as well as those children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, and those that have suffered traumatic brain injuries. I wish I could express the JOY they bring me.

It's indescribable the amount of love that can pour in and out of a classroom when you see it from somewhere that is geared toward hope, awareness, and service for these children.

To have a four year-old little girl in pigtails and a pink, hand-smocked dress climb into your lap and twirl your hair everyday is a feeling unlike any I have ever experienced.

Her almond eyes melt my heart and her little hands, with their simian crease that her extra chromosome caused, are always so gentle and loving. It is no wonder that she pours out her love for me, she is surrounded by love at home, school, and with friends.

That is why I have a hard time understanding why people refuse to serve, love, and - sadly enough - even treat equally, our neighbors with disabilities.

Hard-headed politicians look for all the answers to the world in foreign policy, immigration laws, and taxation practices but they never think that maybe it will all fall into place once we implement the golden rule into our societies:

treat others as you would want to be treated

because if ever one of my friends calls out to me for help, I want to touch their heart like my friend, the little girl with Down syndrome, has touched mine

"miss baily, if the fire still has all of your stuff, you can borrow my things"

I just smiled and tears ran down my face.

How could one not love a life like that? Much less, how could one not think a life

like that is deserving of being in this world?

We spend much of our lives focusing on people and relationships and friendships that end up amounting to nothing in a time of need. But yet, we ignore those indifferent from us because we are unaware of what really makes a child with special needs special! 

Just because God created an individual with an extra 21st chromosome and a predisposed development that is slower and less autonomous than his or her peer, does not mean He didn't bless that child with the same amount of love He did us.

Quite more, actually.

That's what makes children like that so sPeCiaL - the enormous amount of God's love that she expressed to me in a way that holds much more weight than someone sending a text message saying 'I'm here for you' which turns out to be a lie in the end.

So maybe that's why I feel inclined to raise the awareness of Down syndrome/trisomy-21.

Amongst other things, we should all be aware of the blessings that come from being unignorant, inclusive, and non-prejudice. More generally so is that God teaches us to love all of His wonderful creations and to find the richest fulfillment in life is to see the beauty in all things.

And trust me, if the big, compassionate eyes weren't beautiful enough, and if the simian-creased hands weren't God's own 'artist mark', then the beautiful soul that spoke out of her need to be of service to others, is very much so a sense of fulfillment that I look forward to go out an seek on my future endeavors.

I'm glad that many years ago, I was made

AwArE

of these exceptional lives and the goodness of their mere being.

peace&love

baily