American Music Theater with The Gaither Vocal Band

Me & Wes Hampton

Me and my ever supportive and kind, loving hubby ;)

The concert

Michael Phelps doing his solo.

The venue - American Music Theater

 We have been into Rill's Bus Service with my husband whenever we think of having some weekend trips and whenever they offer some trips that seem interesting to do. One of the best thing they had in one of their itineraries was a trip to see The Gaither Vocal Band's Homecoming Tour 2012 at American Music Theater. I have been actually wishing to see one of their concerts someday, I said. Then that perfect timing came when Rill's offered the tour and so I didn't let the chance go off my hands this time, lol! My husband signed up for the tour right away, and finally, it was such an excitement while we were on the road in the bus! :)

GVB became one of my favorites ever since I started seeing and hearing their songs in Youtube and DVD's, and I really have to agree that they are one of the best-loved voices in gospel music. The band roster is comprised of Bill Gaither, Wes Hampton, David Phelps, Michael English and Mark Lowry, all of them gifted as musical artists and men of authentic faith. They are incomparable because of their powerhouse vocals, innovative harmonies and life-altering message - a message of grace, hope and redemption.

I love Michael Phelp's powerful high notes and I was aiming to have a remembrance photo with me, but I ended up having Wes Hampton instead! I still was so happy! Just letting one of them have a photo opportunity is one golden dream I got! ;)

Truly, I felt so blessed in a full evening of entertainment and meaningful music and is a rare treat anytime.

Taken: April 14, 2012

Bird-in-Hand Farmer's Market

In one of our bus tours, we had the chance to drop by the place for a quick shopping. Although we knew we lack time for the shopping, the fact that we were briefed by our tour guide about "food sampling" is for sure a lot of fun!...foody fun, that is! :)

Pop corn samples..taste good!

Crowded!

The day was a weekend (Saturday) and rather was busy and a bit crowded. This place is more of an indoor market and most vendors you could meet are Amish.

Inside are mixed gift shops stores of handmade crafts and mostly are homemade cooked meals, fresh produce and freshly-baked pies. So, it is mostly fresh and homemade in this store, food wise.

We were able to get free food samples of pop corn with various flavors. They are all pretty good and if you have money, you might be tempted buying all of them! :)

I love the caramel-flavored ones! We didn't buy them though, I guess we ate more than enough just by the free samples, lol!...but we instead bought a funnel cake which was also cooked fresh right from the pan. What a nice food trip experience! I think I'm gonna enjoy this type of trips ;).

Taken: April 14, 2012

The Tulips @ Longwood Gardens!

Trip Date: April 7, 2012

It's surely a fact that often times, we spend little time appreciating the forms of beauty from nature - I mean, how many people in this world would be head-over-heels feeling so crazy about visiting gardens, and admire the natural beauty of their own?
How much percentage of the human population love to connect with nature and at the same time be thankful enough of what the nature is giving them?

Nature's beauty is always free! Public gardens are almost everywhere for everybody to enjoy. A bed of roses is a typical form of a nature's beauty, so much so with colorful beds of tulips arranged in kaleidoscopic colors!

It was a one day visiting experience at Longwood Gardens once again, and I embrace this visit as colorfully awesome!

Thank you Lord for the beauty!

Next Day Flower Delivery!

I am talking about an online flower shop that actively operates in UK, so UK residents would benefit much on their services when it comes to ordering flowers online.
If you are looking for flowers that can accommodate your budget, why not try cheaper flowers by Serenata? You can still get the freshest flowers with their next day delivery service, or better yet check their free flower delivery too! ;)

For those who love gardening and taking care of flowers, whether for a business or just a personal hobby at home, it is also of vital importance to know the basics about gardening and taking care of flowers. You will get a lot of helpful information on gardening tips with all about any topics, from seed planting to flower arrangements.
Keep reading tons of articles about gardening, particularly the basic tips for first timers.

Happy gardening!

The Proud Mary Luncheon Cruise

One of the most memorable trips I had was to board The Proud Mary for a 2-hour luncheon cruise on scenic Raystown Lake in Entriken, Pennsylvania.

The Proud Mary is a 62-foot custom designed Mississippi-style Paddle Wheeler featuring turn-of-the-century hospitality and breathtaking vistas that make each cruise a memorable adventure. The buffet lunch was superb! ;)

There is also the Lake Raystown Resort where the ferry was and there are so much things to see and do in the area, particularly during the summer.
Lodge and camping cabins, villas, beachfront bungalows can be rented. There is also a campground area for those who love to camp.

What a good life!...a lake, a camp and a boat for the outdoors! ;)

Zenni's The One!

I have heard a lot of positive reviews and a lot of recommendations about Zenni Optical. For sure many of you have heard about it as well, or perhaps saw it on TV.
When it comes to affordable prescription eyeglasses online, Zenni is the most ideal place to check about or visit them online. Although I haven't tried one (since I don't wear them...yet), I can believably agree that the prices are quite budget-friendly and yet without sacrificing the quality of your glasses too!
And of course, it is here where you can see tons of colorful, trendy and fashionable styles of glasses, and you can choose any style you want depending on your lifestyle or choices.

Eyeglasses have oleophobic coating as well for an affordable price. However you want to have them is up to you.

The Horseshoe Curve's Interesting Facts & Figures

The Horseshoe Curve is located at Kittaning Point, at the base of the Allegheny Mountains and opened on February 15, 1854, engineered by J. Edgar Thompson. The curve's length is 2375 feet; degree of curvature is 9 degrees; central angle is 220 degrees.
The elevation of lower (east) end of the curve is 1594 feet, upper (west) end is 1716 feet-122 feet total elevation climb. The grade is 1.8% or 1.8 foot rise per 100 feet.

Some other interesting facts:

• Wagon transportation from Philly to Pitsburgh took about 20 days. In 1834, the same trip via train, canal and the Allegheny Portage Railroad (to cross the mountains) took about 4 days-when the canals were not frozen.
  
  
• By 1852, train could cross the state but still were dependent on the Allegheny Portage Railroad, which didn't operate at night.
  
  
• The addition of Horseshoe Curve in 1854 made passengers travel the entire route by trail, and the time was reduced to an average of 15 hours.
  
  
• The construction of Horseshoe Curve was done by about 450 workers, many of them from Ireland, and the work was done entirely by hand. Workers were paid 25 cents per hour for a twelve hour day.
  
  
• The curve was on the list of 12 key industrial sites targeted by Nazi saboteurs who were captured at tow sites on the US coast in June 1942.
  
  
• Famous people who traveled the curve were: Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and dozens of vaudeville stage and screen stars.
  

The Regency Beauty Insititute

Are you thinking of getting your degree and yet you worry that you couldn't afford it because of expensive tuition fees? Well, that depends on what school you are eyeing at. But if you would like to consider any Regency Cosmetology Schools that is nearest to your area, you couldn't afford to miss this chance on what they offer to their students.

The school offers financial aids to students who qualify, and you can get started by filling up your information online on their website. You can also check their numbers to contact, so no worries!

It should be much easier for you to locate them because they continue to expand their campuses in many states in the US.

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 3583 Alpine Avenue NW – Walker, MI 49544

High Strength Fasteners

Being a traveler myself, I am actually keen in seeing many things I get to visit. One of the most exciting place I visited was the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco and I couldn't really imagine that those TC Bolts used on the bridge must have been so tough, huh? And of course, you would probably have analyzed that these small high strength fasteners that are being used to make our bridges sturdy for many long years are yet "too small" to be recognized, and yet are the vital components of bridges where many vehicles would pass through every day. So, I think they shouldn't be opted out when you see a big bridge next time, don't you think? :)

I am sure if you are an engineer, or part of a construction team, you would surely know what I am talking about.
I believe that for any construction needs, structural bolts are highly considered as well. And in order to have those strong and sturdy infrastructures, every kind of bolts that fasten them depends on the quality and industry grade materials they are made of that will be considered.

The Horsesoe Curve National Historic Landmark

A visit to the Horseshoe Curve can be enjoying and entertaining where you'll get to witness one of the world's most incredible engineering feats and experience the challenge of Pennsylvania Railroad workers overcame by completing rail tracks through the rough terrain in the Allegheny Mountains.
It's one of the few places in North America where the public can view a working railroad up-close.

Going up the curve can be in 2 ways;-Ride the funicular,-an incline plane that will take you from the visitor's center up to the train tracks of the curve, or choose to walk the 194 beautiful landscaped steps to the tracks for a front seat view of a train man's wonder. There are benches and tables available to watch the passing trains leisurely! ;).

The Horseshoe Curve was opened in 1854 that revolutionized rail travel and cleared the way for westward expansion of the railroad. As of today, more than 50 trains each day can be viewed and photographed.

Don't miss the Visitor's Center to view the descriptive displays that will help you better appreciate the work involved in building such a marvel and which houses a gift shop of souvenirs for every railroad buff.

The Horseshoe Curve is located at Kittaning Point at the base of Allegheny Mountains.

Ever heard of the Valence Group?

No, I’m not talking about the outlaw from the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, a 1962 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart and John Wayne. I am talking about a chemical investment bank that calls itself the Valence Group (pronounced as Vay-lence) that offers advisory services when it comes to chemical mergers and acquisitions to investors which deals with businesses or investments more relatively involved with chemical elements and the like.

One good thing to know as well is that the team is composed of highly trained industrial specialists that are well experienced in their specialized areas, whether local or globally due to the fact that it has contact bases in various locations like Shanghai, London and New York.

That being said, most of its clients have different specialized sectors, which also creates unique characteristics requiring specialized chemical advisory services as well.

Get to work with a team that has first-hand transaction experience, and I'm sure you will be pleased!

The Railroaders Memorial Museum

The museum is located in Altoona, Pennsylvania and is the best place to learn a lot about the life and the essential contributions of railroaders to American life and industry.
It is dedicated to revealing, interpreting, commemorating and celebrating the significant contributions of those railroaders way back in the time when life in Altoona revolved around the railroad.

The museum building has 4 floors but only the first 3 floors are open to the public, the 4th floor being used only for special events and where some offices are also located.

Before checking what's inside the museum, ne sure you have your copy of the museum's guidebook (free) which has a detailed map about the museum and can guide you through 3 floors of exhibits. The guidebook is available at the lobby.

So, once you're in the museum lobby, you will see a life-sized replica of the K-4 #1361 that was made as a tribute to the 6,000 steam locomotives built in Altoona, and the workers who built them. It's here where you'll start your journey where the sounds of steam engines turn you back to the days when rail was king.
The museum is housed in the historic 1882 Master Mechanics Building which was once a home to the extensive testing labs of the "Pennsy."

In the museum is also where you can see the historic rail cars in the yard which includes the historic Mountain View Observation Lounge from the famed Broadway Limited.

Be sure to visit the Norfolk Southern Theater located on the 1st floor for some historic films. On the 3rd floor is where you can take advantage of the Railroaders "Call Board" where you can look up information on more than 18400 railroaders.

If you are heading to Horseshoe Curve as your next destination, you're pretty much close from the museum.
From the museum's parking lot, turn right and go 2 tenths of a mile to 17th street. Turn right to 17th Street, go one block then turn left to Margaret Avenue. Go 2-tenths of a mile, and Margaret flows into broad Avenue. Continue for 1.6 miles and turn right to 40th Street.
Follow the "Heritage Route" and Horseshoe Curve signs 3.6 miles to the Curve.

E Cigarette By Blu Cigs

I suppose many people today have heard about electronic cigarettes (e cigarette), and as a matter of fact, they are now becoming popular particularly to those who want to quit smoking the traditional way and yet can't.

If ever you are thinking of getting it or trying, better yet check Blu Cigs. They are actually famous online, so it will be easy finding them. To some, it would probably be suprising to know some facts about the features, and the total product itself.
You might want to give it a try with a premium starter kit.
By the way, there are new flavors added as well, so better check it too. It's made in the US, so if you are US based, you can just say; - if it's "Made in the USA", it must be good! ;)

Golden Dragon Acrobat Show @ Longwood Gardens

It's nice to be back once again at Longwood Gardens! Every trip visit that we do going there is always worth it. This time, it wasn't just a visit to the gardens smelling the flowers, but to watch the Golden Dragon Acrobat Show at open-air theater in the gardens as well.

The show didn't start until 1pm. While waiting, we visited the topiary garden and had some fun taking photos of the roses fully in bloom!
Thank goodness for our ever reliable tripod cam as well. We managed to take both our photos together;).

The Golden Dragon acrobats had a spectacular performance! It was indeed a show of breath taking skills and spell binding beauty combining them with acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes and ancient contemporary music.

The show lasted for an hour 1/2 and we can say it was really worth the watch. Photography wasn't allowed during the show, but I was glad I was able to sneak some quick shots without the flash! :)
After the show, I bought a souvenir (hand fan) that looked simple but elegant...perfect for hot summer days!

Herbal Potpourri & Other Products

I would be treating this post as sensitive as this might not be good for some readers. For adults who use these party enhancers, I would encourage them to be responsible enough with their actions if ever they use them. 

These products are actually available from Herbal City LLC online which offers herbal products such as the K6 herbal incense and spiritual powders.

Although these products are said to be legal in all 50 states of the US, it still involves responsibility when using them. The herbal products are said to be mood enhancing that help people feel great against stress, depression, and ideal for night life people as well.

If you are interested, you can check the site and see their products.

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

This country estate and museum is considered to be a premier museum of American decorative arts because it houses one of the most important collections of Americana in the country. No wonder why, because in here was the former home of Henry Francis du Pont,-known to be an antiques collector and horticulturist.
The museum is named after the 6th-greatest city in Switzerland, - "Winterthur".

There are about 90,000 art collections placed and displayed in 175 period-room displays in which these collections spans more than 2 centuries of American decorative arts from 1640-1860 which also include pieces of American furniture and fine art.

Winterthur is beautifully nestled amidst a 1,000-acre preserve of rolling meadows and woodlands in Delaware's Brandy Wine Valley on route 52, minutes from I-195 and less than an hour south of Philadelphia.
Part of the acre is a 60-acre naturalistic garden with magnificent specimen paintings and various displays of colors.
Amidst the majestic oak trees is a garden that is called "Enchanted Garden" or "Enchanted Woods" that is good for exploring mystery and discovery.
In here is where you can touch and see objects from the past, who made them and who used them. Smaller kids can enjoy visiting here with the garden reflecting as a fairy-tale garden in the eyes of the little ones.

Online Reputation Management

Gaining a good reputation is not easy, but regaining back a destroyed reputation is much more difficult to do and imagine, particularly if your online reputation in the business industry has been crushed! The most painful thing to bear is when those bad reports against you are not true. So, you would be crying out for help and you would start to wonder which or who will you turn to?

But aren't you glad there is a company who offers internet reputation management methodologies to customers that really need them? That's one benefit of the internet. As long as you found the right company (thank goodness for Google researches too!) and credible services that are trustworthy, you are good to go.

If you are a frequent online shopper, you can also be at risk of being a victim of some fraudulent sites. Talking about free shipping deals for instance can be quite confusing to many shoppers if they don't seem to do a comprehensive research about their activities they have to do online. Just by looking at a company that offers a "free" service can still be tricky...so watch out before you give into it.

If you are a victim of fraud, you might want to check on the given link(s) on this post and don't hesitate to report your case. It always pays to be open about your experiences against fraud because the more many will be aware of your experience, the more people would be willing to help and be warned as well.

A Valuable Feedback For Damires Hills Resort - (Reposted)

A few days ago, I shared a post regarding the place in my facebook account (Notes). But since it was only limited for some viewers, I thought of reposting it here again on my blog.
So here it goes:

It has been 5 months since my last trip going to the place with my family. I could say it was still more fun than a disaster, but who wants a fun with some disasters in between??...right? But providing a valuable feedback particularly for the employees and the management of the place would certainly be a challenge to accept and do something about it, both for the positive and negative feedback.

We hope that by now, there will be more improvements on the place including the management service, and facilities that need more attention for the security of the visitors.

I and my husband travel a lot, and we come to Philippines every year (my home birth) for a vacation for a much needed R &R (rest and relaxation). In the course of our travel to various places both Philippines and the US, plus some other countries we've been to, we are quite vocal about sharing our trip experiences to places we visit, whether for pleasure or business.

Okay, so here was our ordeal.

On the early morning of November 1, 2011, I tried calling Damires Hills Resort to ask if they were open on that day. I got the contact nos. from their Facebook page. As I dialled the first number, (it was a cellphone number) and after a few rings, I heard somebody was on the line, but she didn't say anything. So, I then proceeded to ask; - "Hello, good morning. Is this Damires Hills Resort?" ... it was a long pause then suddenly she hanged up the phone on me! I didn't mind about it, but actually if I dialled the wrong number, she should just simply answered back "wrong number"! So, I dialled the other number, (it was still a cellphone number) and I was answered by a guy this time. So I asked the same question to confirm if they were open and he confirmed they were open. I asked if the zip line was open that day and he said yes, zip line was open for business that day.

So, I and the group (there were 10 of us who went to the place), proceeded to the place and arrived there at around close to noon time. We got a family room that was on the second floor of the building close to the bar area and the pool. I couldn't recall the name of the room. I then asked the receptionists there (there were 2 ladies and 2 guys) if we can do the zip line but they quickly answered the zip line was NOT available because the one in charge was on a day off!!! So, who the heck did I call on the phone who confirmed me that zip line was open?? I felt so disgusted! Why? Because it was the main reason why I wanted to visit Damires Hills Resort in the firs place...to try the zip line! So I was thinking, does the word "collaboration" exist in the management? A good business continues to thrive when all people that work in it carry good rapport in working together to achieve goals of the business. But it was not the time for me to be so upset! I thought there are still some things to enjoy about...the pool!

Here is the good part, talking about positive feedbacks! ;)...The food was superb! We love the food, and the waiter who served us did a good job! We should have gotten his name! I think we gave him a good tip though ;). The pool was clean, the ambience was awesome! The view surrounding the pool was lush and green...very nostalgic! But the "not so good ones"...those stone slabs patch beside the pool are slippery when they get wet. I slipped couple of times and I saw some did too! These are obviously dangerous for smaller kids who would become out balance and might bang their heads on the stones! Now, that would be worst if it happens and the resort would end up answering someone's dear life.

Our room has also some lights where switches are nowhere to be found! It looked a li'l bit funny, but when we asked one of the guys there to switch on the lights of our room for us, he couldn't find it too! {sigh!}

Our room has stairs that got so wet after our bath in the pool because there were no dry stair mats provided and they are so slippery to walk on to it going up and down. My husband was so unlucky to experience stepping on one slicky step on the stairs, so that he slipped on his left leg and landed on his back couple of stairs going down! He was able to grab the stair rails to protect himself from falling down to the bottom of the stairs. However, he got some scratches on his left ankle, and red streak marks on his behind (butt area). He was fine after he regained his balance but had back pains after that.

How could you imagine if someday, one person will fall down that stairs with head down and hitting it on the pavement? Those are just BIG liabilities you could NEVER ignore!

After the incident, I demanded to speak with the manager or supervisor to report about what happened but one lady told me they are not around because they are on day offs due to the holiday! I find that unreasonable because whether it is a holiday or not there should always be one on duty!

A resort business always needs to be equipped with functional, complete and secure facilities as well as a manager or a supervisor that monitors everything else under his care...that's what you call efficiency in service! It's one of the key you need if you want your business to thrive longer.

In America, all resort businesses and public attractions are highly efficient. As a frequent traveler, I've experienced being checked by a manager or a supervisor asking if I find everything okay, and would always take time to come see me every 15-30 minutes and ask what else do I need and if I am okay. Every room is provided with feedback brochures and suggestion boxes too.

I am from Janiuay and I am always proud of promoting anything that Janiuay has something to be proud of! Don't feel bad about the negative feedbacks! I know that would be helpful for your management. I and my family are still looking forward to visit you one of these days again, hopefully with better facilities and services.

Thanks for letting us visit! We are looking forward to tell you "Job well done"! in the near future :).

Alkaline Ionized Water

You would probably wonder what is all about it means once you have read my title post above. Some would perhaps say it's more on scientific explanations which I would agree. But did you know there are more to know about it?
I am quite surprised as well when I have read these valuable information and why I consider it essential not only in animals but to human health as well.

If you are familiar with water filters, then you're really closer to the idea now ;). You see it in homes, offices and in some public places for drinking.
But we have to think that even the best water filter is not enough to consider when you talk about body wellness, - the reason why there are now products called water ionizers or also known as alkaline water machine.
The purpose of a water ionizer is to provide you clean filtered water and at the same produce an alkaline ionized water to help keep your cell PH healthy daily, in which a plain water filter doesn't provide. You see, even the best water filter can't be good enough if the water PH is not right. And human cells responds sensitively to a wrong PH through various forms of illnesses such as allergies, arthritis, failing organs and even cancer.
With the proper water ionizer, you can get access to a better water filter and the right PH.

Water ionization is a process that filters water then transforms it to alkaline which is rich in antioxidants, - a very essential combination, the product which is now called alkaline ionized water.

The best thing to know is that these alkaline water machines can now be bought at bargain prices. Of course, there are those (depending on the models) that might be too costly enough for their budgets, but there are still products that are perfect for low budget customers.
Owning one is quite cost effective and much cheaper when you compare it to bottled water. You would realize sooner that having one is all worth it.

Making a shower curtain for our bath makeover

Guest post written by Monique Stewart

It's been a long time since we made over our bathroom and all of our stuff in it was looking so worn and outdated. So I decided it was about time that we did something about it. So that's what we've been working on these past few weekends. We've bought most everything for it but we still didn't find the perfect shower curtain and wanted to make sure that we bought that before we painted.

I've looked at what feels like about every shower curtain on the internet. While I was going through some shower curtains a few nights ago I saw the website http://www.debtsettlementusa.com. After I looked through it some I decided to use it to help us out with our family's debt that we've been having trouble with for a few years by now.

I decided after all that looking that I should just find a fabric that I like and make a shower curtain out of that. I really didn't like any of the curtains that I saw so I think that's going to be our best bet. Then we can pick out a paint color!