I'm speechless!

I know most people who know me would be saying "what, you are at a loss for words!?!? Ha! Not YOU!", but the truth of the matter is, I am blown away by the act of kindness a friend showed last night when she presented me with a present for Scooter and I, to celebrate our recent marriage. Pictures just do not do this quilt justice. It is absolutely stunning and the colors are perfect for our new den!!! This quilt will always be in full display as a piece of artwork in our home and knowing that my friend took the time to make it for us...well, again, I'm just at a loss for words! I can't tell you how much Scooter and I truly love it and will cherish it for years to come...well, for the rest of our lives!!! So, my friend, "thank you" just doesn't seem like enough, so "thank you from the bottoms of our hearts!!"

I started another dishcloth last night at knitting, which as always, was so much fun and just downright awesome. I am so fortunate to have a group full of women AND men in my life who are just the best! This cloth is the same as the red one I made the day before and gave to my friend I had lunch with yesterday (thank you Ro..I had a great time!!). I love this pattern because it is so quick and yet I know will be so effective in the kitchen. It's a nice stitch too and easy to memorize. I'm hoping to make another one today, since I knitted this one in a sort of gold/camel color. I have run out of dishcloths and it would be nice to have a stack of these in different colors. I will probably do some other patterns eventually as well, but for now, this one is working for me. It's instant gratification and is an easy, portable project, while I wait for Ravelympics to begin in six days. The temptation to cast on for another pair of socks is almost unbearable though! lol I'm not going to promise that I won't, just in case I succumb to the temptation. With so many yummy yarns out there, who could blame me, right?

For the past couple of days, I've been having a discussion with a girlfriend back east about Oprah's new campaign for a No Phone Zone in our vehicles. I'm in total agreement with Oprah, but my friend thinks Oprah should be focusing on other "bigger" issues, such as hunger among the children in our country (particularly in Kentucky), SIDS, AIDS, etc. She thinks since it's now a law that we aren't supposed to be using our cell phones (texting or talking) while driving, we should just let the cops handle it. Well, to me, that's like saying cops are supposed to handle drunk drivers too, but I don't think we should mitigate the fact that it still causes death even though we know it's illegal to do it. If you know anything about Oprah, you know that she DOES support many other causes, and some of them she supports with her own personal finances! I think it's very important that she has brought this issue to the forefront. I didn't see anybody else bringing it to national attention, and who better to do it than Oprah?! She has the resources to do it, and if it saves just one life, then it will have all been worth it, especially if it affects one of you directly, or one of your loved ones. I don't care who you are..nobody has what it takes to be able to completely focus on driving a vehicle that could potentially turn into a weapon in an instant, and still text, check email, whatever it is they do on cell phones. If you think you are so special that you can manage this, you are a complete idiot in my opinion!!! I have actually witnessed accidents where cell phones had been in use seconds prior to impact. Fortunately, there have been no fatalities, thank God, but it only takes one time. One only has to watch the nightly news to see where dozens of lives have been taken. The train engineer in southern California is a sad, but great example. Or the bus driver on the freeway during commute time in Houston, who rear-ended a car and caused a multi-car accident with injuries.

I found this information online......

"Research by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows that drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting, the department said. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road, the department said."

How scary is that!?!? Would you want someone following behind you or coming at you head on or from the side that is doing this? Hell NO!!!!

Last night, on my way home from knitting group, the SUV (a Tahoe which is 4 times the size of my little sports car) in the lane next to me on my left kept drifting into the side of me. I couldn't figure out what the heck she was doing. Twice she forced me into the lane to the right of me (I was in the center lane) where other cars were, but luckily I had enough room at those exact moments to where I didn't sideswipe any of them. I couldn't figure out what the heck her problem was...until I got up even with her, looked over and saw she was ON HER CELL PHONE PEOPLE!!!! Do you honestly think because it's dark out, and a cop can't see you, that it makes it ok??? Do yourself and me a favor, and realize that whatever it is that's so darn important that you must be on your cell phone talking or texting, pull off the damn road!!! The life you save may be yours or your own kids. So, it is just my opinion, but I think for Oprah to take up this cause right now is very important. I'll bet my friend would feel different if it were HER child involved in an accident because of a cell phone. She has a powerful voice and if she doesn't do it, then who will? What do y'all think? I'd love to have your opinions!