The Race for Memphis City Council . . .

Last night, ~May 14, 2015~ there was a debate for City Council District 7 at the Douglass K-8 Optional School.  The candidates attending were Berlin Boyd, ~current interim councilman~ Thurston Smith, Michael Steven Moore and Anthony Anderson.  The questions were asked by a variety of elected officials and community activists as well as three students from Douglass’ debate team.    Brian Clay invited several candidates and community leaders to speak before the debate.  I've listed the particulars at the end.

What struck me the most about the questions was that not one of them was about economic development.  A couple of the candidates talked about how everyone deserves a livable wage, but no one addressed how to unleash the power of businesses so that there are jobs to provide a wage ~livable or otherwise~.  Education was a hot topic, which, as Terry Roland pointed out, Memphis is no longer in the school business.  How to bring more money into the district was asked.  How long and where they lived in the district was asked.  Blight was discussed.  I have to give kudos to Ms. Carter for bringing up the youth mobs and violence, but each of the candidates’ answers to that was more money for education and community programs.  The first student’s question was about the economic divide in Memphis.  The second student’s question was about mandatory preschool, ~as an aside, Mr. Boyd mentioned that funding for preschool was going to come up again~ and the third student’s question was about keeping Memphis college graduates in Memphis.  There wasn’t a question about smart meters.  There wasn’t a question about restoring the police and fire pensions even though there was a group from the “Just the Facts” group on Facebook sitting in front.  The Bass Pro Shop didn’t get asked about or the PILOT programs either.  It was all about getting public and private funding and how each of the candidates could get the most money.

I have to give Mr. Boyd credit because he did bring up the city budget and the fiscal cliff that we are up against.  He did talk about how the pension plan should have been addressed years ago.  He didn’t discuss his record about voting for some of the high dollar projects that the city of Memphis taxpayers are on the hook for.   I also have to give kudos to Mr. Boyd because he was the only business owner and entrepreneur among them.  He did talk about the tax base and how we need to not allow anyone to tell us how much we are worth, but go out and make it happen.  I also give him kudos for showing up due to the fact that he was in a motorcycle accident over the weekend and was on crutches.

Michael Steven Moore mentioned several times that he was Barbara Swearengen Holt-Ware’s son and had run her former campaigns.  His campaign slogan was "Every inch, every individual, and every issue."  Even when the question was for the candidates to each pick an issue that was important to the community and discuss how they would address it, he came back to his campaign slogan instead of actually answering with a specific issue.  He ran and lost to Lee Harris for this city council seat in 2011.

Anthony Anderson called himself a social-preneur.  For those who might be wondering what a social-preneur is, a social-preneur is an entrepreneur who practices social justice.  Mr. Anderson mentioned that when they started the charter schools they paid everyone down to the custodian a living wage with benefits.His qualifications that he touted was that he founded a network of charter schools that have been successful and that he has experience with funneling private money into infrastructure for schools.  He also talked several times about how we should “spread the wealth.”

Last but not least was Thurston Smith.  The names that he dropped were President Obama and Loretta Lynch.  He even pulled up an email from Loretta Lynch on his phone that he had received from her that day.  He came to Memphis because of his appointment in the Veterans Administration.  Not a real plus in my book because of the fiasco that the VA is in currently.  His idea on getting funding for the district is crack ~taxpayer~ money from various grants.  In fact, he posted this idea on the FB group “Just the Facts” and ended up deleting the post because he was challenged on how the problem isn't enough money, but the breakdown of the family and missing dads.  He deleted the post because it had turned political.  Hello!?!  You are running for a political office that will be spending taxpayer money.

It looks like I left a little too soon.  It was getting late and my bottom was sore from sitting on the hard benches for so long.  They were wrapping up the district 7 debate and it sounded like they were wrapping up the event, but apparently I was wrong.  The event was supposed to be a debate for Super District 8 as well, but since only Martavius Jones was in attendance and it was so late, I didn't think that they would do it.  Apparently, Kemba Ford acted as interviewer for Mr. Jones and asked him pretty much the questions that were asked the district 7 candidates.  Shelby Co Commissioner Terry Roland apparently called out Martavius Jones ~who is also currently on the Shelby County Commission~ in typical Terry Roland fashion and there were words exchanged.  From a video that I saw, it looks like I was with the majority of the attendees.  Most had already left.

The irony to me is that this debate took place in a school and community that was named after Frederick Douglass.  Frederick Douglass was a slave who taught himself to read and influenced President Abraham Lincoln.  Frederick Douglass didn’t make excuses for himself and look for handouts.  He loved the Constitution and worked hard to become successful.  I’ll share with you with a couple of his quotes.

“In that instrument I hold there is neither warrant, license, nor sanction of the hateful thing; but, interpreted, as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a glorious liberty document.  Read its preamble, consider its purposes.”

and

“In regard to the colored people, there is always more that is benevolent, I perceive, than just, manifested towards us. What I ask for the negro is not benevolence, not pity, not sympathy, but simply justice. The American people have always been anxious to know what they shall do with us.... I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us! If the apples will not remain on the tree of their own strength, if they are worm-eaten at the core, if they are early ripe and disposed to fall, let them fall! ... And if the negro cannot stand on his own legs, let him fall also. All I ask is, give him a chance to stand on his own legs! Let him alone! ... Your interference is doing him positive injury.”

I didn't hear any of the spirit of Frederick Douglass last night.  All I heard were people looking for what government could do for them.  Memphis has great potential, but we are in serious trouble because so many of the citizens of Memphis don’t understand economics and the proper role of government.  City government isn't about funding social projects.  From the Memphis City Charter, Article 1, Section 1, the original taxing district ~later changed to city~ was created “in order to provide the means of local government for the peace, safety and general welfare of such districts.”  That means law enforcement and infrastructure.  General welfare means that it benefits all of the city of Memphis, not just certain groups within the city.

Memphis has great potential and I love this city, but we will not move forward until we get back to the basics of a civil society.  We have professional race stirrers.  We have elected officials that spend too much money on things that government ~taxpayers~ has no business funding.  We want safe neighborhoods and quality education for our kids.  Neither of those will happen until we get back to taking responsibility for our actions and parents taking responsibility for their children.  Instead of blaming those that leave Memphis looking for those things, why don't we work on providing them.  We are experiencing the consequences of looking to the government to fix our problems.  Isn't it time to try something different?

Notes:
The panel who asked the questions were Shelby County Commissioner Terry Roland, Shelby County Democratic Party Secretary Lexie Reed Carter , former City Councilman Shep Wilburn, talk show host Jennings Benard, community activist Charlie Caswell, and Carlissa Shaw from Horne/Wells as well as three students from the Douglass debate team.  Also asked to speak were Jim Strickland, ~current city councilman and candidate for mayor~ Kenneth Whalum, ~former MCS board member who has pulled petitions for both city council and mayor~ Michael Williams, ~Memphis Police Association President and also running for mayor~ Randa Spears, ~Shelby Co. Democratic Party Chariman~ John Cornes, ~real estate~ and City Councilwoman Wanda Halbert.

Terry Roland must be using Common Core Math

Here we go again.  Governor Haslam’s Insure TN has been resurrected. Don’t blame me for the resurrection imagery; it is what Terry Roland himself used in his editorial in the Commercial Appeal on Palm Sunday.  It is touted as the conservative health insurance plan.

Tennesseans have been told that 1) it’s not ObamaCare even though it is funded through ObamaCare; 2) it’s not expanding Medicaid although it is funded with federal Medicaid dollars; 3) it is not going to cost TN taxpayers anything because it is all funded through federal crack money.  Last I checked, Tennesseans pay federal income tax too.   I don’t see anything conservative about expanding a government program that we can't afford either at the state or federal level.

Insure TN is a bailout for the hospitals.  When the federal crack money runs outs, the Tennessee hospitals will fund the rest of it.  Out of the goodness of their hearts, right?  Well, not exactly.  Because of ObamaCare, hospitals are getting less money so they have come up with a scheme to unlock federal money to save them.  I get it.  ObamaCare is a disaster.  Hospitals and doctors are getting shafted because government healthcare doesn’t work.  Tennesseans are getting shafted with losing their insurance which they were promised they could keep and for those of us who still have insurance, we are paying much more for less coverage.

This is where Terry Roland’s Common Core Math comes in.  As usual, politicians create a crisis in order to talk taxpayers into going along with their schemes.  What are the two top crises that we hear when politicians are trying to sell a tax increase to pay for their pet projects?  Police/Fire and Schools.  Well, now you can add the hospitals to the list.  Let me be clear.  I am not against hospitals.  I am not against doctors.  I think they are getting the shaft just like the rest of us Americans with ObamaCare.  The question is, is what do we do about it?  Terry Roland is selling Insure TN in Memphis as the only way to keep property taxes in Shelby County from going up.  He said on his FaceBook page on Sunday that

"if they stop the dish payments that comes to Memphis from the Fed, it will be devastating because Regional one will lose 77 million dollars a year and the only way to pay for it would be to go up on property taxes and I can't let that happen. Another property Tax increase would kill Shelby County”  

According to Dr. Reginald Coopwood, CEO of Regional One in March 2014.

“(Tennessee's "disproportionate share" (DSH) federal payments for hospitals that serve a large number of Medicaid and low-income uninsured patients are still up in the air. The Regional Medical Center has received about $12 million a year.)”

Notice the discrepancy?  Roland says the Med will lose $77 million a year and Dr. Coopwood says $12 million.  That is not just a couple of dollars off.

Tell us the truth Terry Roland.  The hospitals are desperate for a bailout. Using The Med is much more effective as an emotional tug than bailing out Baptist and Methodist.  My question is, “Who is going to bailout the taxpayers?”

Terry Roland posted this quote by Clint Eastwood on his FaceBook page in February.  I agree with Eastwood.  What about Insure TN is less government and fiscally responsible?

Why Is It Easier to Spend Other People's Money?

A recent conversation bears out the truth that it is easier to spend other people's money.  Governor Haslam is trying to push his ObamaCare scheme to expand Medicaid down Tennesseans’ throats.  On a page of citizens who are against this scheme, a couple of individuals spoke up in favor of his scheme.  Their “logic” is priceless and shows what we are up against.

First was a lady who claimed that she is usually for anything conservative, but we’ve got to pass Insure TN because our rural hospitals are closing, so we “must” do something.  The rural hospitals closing are the threat that Haslam and his cohorts are using to cram this scheme thru the state legislature.  She claimed that her husband was an administrator for one of said rural hospitals.  She has a vested interest in the hospital not closing because it would directly affect her livelihood.  I can appreciate that.  The problem is that Insure TN is really a scheme to get more federal crack money ~taxpayer funds~ to flow into Tennessee because of how ObamaCare has cut Medicare and Medicaid payments to the states.  When challenged with this information that is spelled out in this Forbes article, this woman mysteriously disappeared from the conversation.

Here is how the provider tax works– hospitals take money out of their right pocket in the form of a “tax” and send it to the state, it cycles through state government in order to look like state spending but it is returned to the hospital’s left pocket. Why do they do this? This “state spending” triggers additional federal taxpayer contributions, driving up spending in the program. 

What does this mean for Tennessee? For every new dollar Tennessee collects as a “tax” on hospitals for Obamacare expansion, taxpayers will pay more than $5 to those same hospitals and an extra $8 to other medical providers. 

This funding scheme means Tennessee hospitals will pay roughly $1.7 billion in new taxes over the next decade. But the expansion, made possible by these taxes, forces all federal taxpayers to kick in another $22.5 billion. This ultimately allows hospitals to collect up to $9.3 billion in new Medicaid expansion revenue. 

This gimmick certainly isn’t new: Tennessee already receives a third of the “state share” of Medicaid spending from provider taxes and funds from local governments. But while this may seem like a clever budget gimmick, there’s only a slim chance that this scheme will survive much longer.

Next up was a gentleman who claimed to be a grad student studying architecture who needed to have his tonsils removed and couldn’t afford it.  I’ll call him Mr. Smith ~not his real name.~  He “needed” help.  When I asked him why it was the responsibility of taxpayers to pay his medical bills, he came back with the typical class warfare response of “If you can afford it, sure you can pay my medical bills.  Just write me a check.”  He also asked for a solution so I gave him two.  The first was the fact that hospitals and doctors take monthly payments; and the second was that maybe he should go down his block to his neighbors and ask them to help him with his medical bills.  He’s expecting me a total stranger to help him, why not go to his friends for help?  Needless to say, he “left” the conversation ~or at least didn’t comment anymore.~  He hung around because he was “liking” the next gentleman to foray into the conversation.

Another gentleman soon jumped into the conversation.  I’ll call him Mr. Green, although, again, that is not his real name.  He started out with insults and name calling.  He used the typical big government do-gooder shtick of how we conservatives hate the poor, the elderly and only care about unborn children.  Mr. Green is of course compassionate because of his good intentions.  His quote was “If just one child, can see a doctor instead of an emergency, ACA/Insure Tennessee is worth it.  If myself or some rich guy has to pay an extra dollar, good.  Consider it be the one good thing you’ve ever done.”

The problem is that ObamaCare and Insure TN isn’t going to require taxpayers to just pay an extra dollar, but I digress.  I suggested that Mr. Green could help Mr. Smith with his surgery that he said he needed.  He could simply message him and get his address.  Mr. Green tried to tell me how many jobs Insure TN was going to create in Tennessee, all by getting more federal crack ~taxpayer~ dollars.  He also claimed that I didn’t have a better alternative.  That’s really funny because I had already suggested that he could help out Mr. Smith. 

I asked Mr. Green if he thought that DC had a magic money tree.  Maybe the state of Tennessee has a magic money tree.  I asked him if he had helped Mr. Smith get his surgery scheduled.  Mr. Smith could put him down as the guarantor for his medical bills. 

Mr. Green responded that I needed to leave Mr. Smith alone.  He then proceeded to hurl insults at me again.  I pointed out that Mr. Smith had inserted himself into this conversation with his claim that he needed help with his medical bills.  I was just offering a solution to his needs. 

Good intentions don’t trump the laws of economics.  The hypocrisy of the big government do-gooders is that they aren’t willing to spend their own money.  They want to spend ours. 

 

Ambushed by Shelby County Republicans

Update:  It appears that Commissioner Heidi Shafer is also supporting this plan.  Both she and Terry Roland spoke at the Shelby County Republican Women's Club this week.  A report from an attendee said that both Roland and Shafer were speaking in support of this scheme.  At the Commission meeting, Shafer played the role of good cop with us by talking with us and giving us the impression that she agreed with us.  She had recused herself from voting on the resolution because she works in the healthcare industry. 

What has the state party promised or threatened our elected leaders here in Shelby County?  Why is this so important to Haslam? 

There were four of us who witnessed the ambush on Monday by Republican Shelby County Commissioners.  Just two weeks ago, those of us who understand economics and the disaster that ObamaCare is, prevailed over the ruling class Republicans who wanted to pass a resolution supporting Governor Haslam's scheme to expand Medicaid in TN.  We called and emailed and instructed our representatives ~did you know that the Tennessee Constitution codifies our right to instruct our representatives?~ that we do not want to expand Medicaid in TN.  We know what ObamaCare is doing and will do to healthcare in our great country if not stopped.  As my youngest daughter used to say, "We don't want it!"  The people spoke and the resolution was pulled.  Well, low and behold, it reared it's ugly head once again on Monday.  It was not on the agenda.  It was an add-on sponsored by Terry Roland ~Republican~ and Van Jones ~Democrat.~ 

This is the email that I sent to Commissioners Roland, Reaves, Billingsley and Chism.  Commissioner Shafer recused herself because of her working in the healthcare industry and I didn't bother sending it to Steve Basar because he has already shown that he is not a conservative. 

Commissioner Roland,

I am disappointed with what I witnessed during the county commission meeting Monday. 

 

First, let me address the shenanigans that took place in the meeting.  It was a very cowardly act to ambush the citizens of Shelby County ~Republicans specifically~ in this manner.  You were not happy with the input you received by phone, email and from Republicans and other citizens who attended and spoke before the last Commission meeting where you tried to get support for the governor's scheme, so you decided to ambush us Monday by doing a last minute add-on to the agenda.  This is what we have come to expect from the Democrats and a tactic you have claimed in the past to despise.  Do you have such a short memory that you don't remember the last couple of months?  What was the recent lawsuit by the Democrats plus Steve Basar about?  Wasn't it about who could add-on an item to the commission agenda and whether a simple majority or super-majority was needed to overrule the chairman to add an item to the agenda?  What was the dire emergency that made it imperative that this resolution needed to be passed yesterday?

 

You spoke that you didn't like the ACA, but your back was against the wall because if we don't expand Medicaid in TN under this scheme, then you would be forced to raise property taxes in Shelby County.  We can't let the Med go under, after all.  We have heard this threat for years/decades.  We know what will happen if we expand Medicaid here in TN.  Do you not remember the TennCare debacle? It almost bankrupted the state.  It took a Democrat to come in and fix that fiasco.  Is that what you want?  Pave the way for a Democrat governor?

Two citizens, who happened to be present at Monday's meeting, spoke against this referendum.  They brought up some important points:

• What are we going to do when the federal monies dry up and the citizens of TN are stuck with having to pay the shortfall?
• Many of the states that went ahead and expanded Medicaid have still had hospital closings.
• Several states have handled this problem in ways that was beneficial to the medical providers and the patients and their solutions need to be examined to see if they would work in TN.
• You said that the smaller hospitals serving the surrounding counties are struggling because of the ACA and that the Memphis Regional Hospital (the MED) would have to take those patients.  However, the stated reason that the hospital in Fayette County is closing was because the people in the area were not using it. (only one new patient a day) and it was not cost effective to keep it open.

You did not show them the courtesy to slow down long enough to address those concerns but went directly to the vote.

By expanding Medicaid ~like Haslam wants to~ we are just kicking the can down the road.

I agree with Thomas Payne.

 

"I prefer peace.  But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace

It is time for courage from you, our elected officials.  It is time for leaders to articulate conservatism and limited government.  You purport to espouse limited government.  Your actions speak louder than your words.

For more details on the Commission meeting, click here. 

To instruct our representatives ~as the TN State Constitution says we have the right to~ here is the link to their email addresses or call them at 222-1000.

Outside Independence Hall when the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin,
"Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"
With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded,
"A republic, if you can keep it." 

It is up to us to keep our republic.  Voting is just the beginning of our civic responsibility.  Help save our republic.  It starts at the local level because power is in the district. 

Commissioner Terry Roland will be the speaker at the Dutch Treat Luncheon on Saturday, January 17th at noon at Jason's Deli.  Jason's Deli is located at 3473 Poplar ~corner of Highland and Poplar~.  Come early if you want to order a meal.  This will be a great time to ask him why he pulled this stunt. 

Be the Best You in 2015!

Happy New Year!

While most of us make ~and then break~ our New Year's resolutions, it is a great time to reflect on the previous year and think about what we want in our lives.  Common New Year's resolutions run the gamut from being losing weight and being more healthy to not procrastinating to being more productive with your time to further your career or build that business that you are currently treating like a hobby.  New Year's resolutions are all about being the best you in the new year.

Beauty is an attitude.  "When a woman knows what makes her look and feel her best, she gains confidence in herself. That confidence has changed thousands of lives."

January is all about fresh starts.

As Coco Chanel once said, "beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself."

Coco Chanel also said, “Nature gives you the face you have at twenty. Life shapes the face you have at thirty. But at fifty you get the face you deserve.”

If you could change one thing about your skin, what would it be?

Do you have skin discoloration?  Dehydrated skin?  Fine lines and wrinkles?  Loss of luminosity?  Uneven skin tone?  Loss of elasticity?  Visible pores?  These are the seven signs of aging.  If you want to change any of these, BeautiControl can help.  Science meets Spa with BeautiControl’s highly scientific skin care collection. Our most technologically-advanced ingredients will give you smoother, healthier and younger-looking skin. It’s personalized skin care…simplified.  BC Spa Facial is free of parabens, sulfates, gluten, artificial dyes and fragrances. It is dermatologist, sensitivity and allergy tested, but never on animals.

Whether your skin is Normal/Dry or Combination/Oily, there’s a solution for you.

 Are you tired of crappy skin care items that are bought off a shelf without knowing that they will work for you! I want to style your skin care so it is matched flawlessly to your skin's needs. The one size fits all approach to your skin does NOT work and can even be harmful.  Would you be willing to invest in your skin for 60 days and see what happens?  Try BC spa totally risk free.  If you aren't happy with your skin after 60 days, just return to me and I'll give you a 100% refund.  What do you have to lose?

To order your skin care, you can either go to my beautipage and order or you can contact me thru FaceBook or Twitter.

In 2015, be you. be beautiful.

Light Up Your Eyes . . .

Sparkle from day to night with a mixture of shimmer and matte shades that create a perfect holiday glow with BC Color Illuminating Eyeshadow Color Palette.

Here are some how-tos to get you started.
First you need to get to know your palette.  



Be chic:

be glam:

be defined:

be noticed:

Don't forget the mascara . . . 

BC Color Dramatic Lash Mascara

High-definition, multi-benefit formula adds volume, curls and separates in a single bold sweep. Get a false-lash effect without clumping or flaking.

To get this must-have palette and the mascara, just go to my beautipage and click on Color and then on Eyes:  

Help Make Wishes Come True . . . Season of Wishes SPA

As a Wish mom I can attest to how being granted a Wish by Make-A-Wish impacts not only the Wish child, but their whole family.  When my daughter was 8, she caught an E.coli bug.  She came out of the hospital in kidney failure.  She was on dialysis for 9 months before she had the life giving gift of a kidney transplant.  My daughter was granted a wish by Make-A-Wish Midsouth.  When we first talked to my daughter about what she might wish for, it was neat to see her thought process and her discussions with her sisters about it.  Her first thought was Hawaii, and I thought, now that would be a great wish.  She then talked about a couple of other places ~and her sisters gave her input of course~ but we made it clear that this was her wish and she needed to wish for what she wanted.  She chose to go to Disney World.  We then had the choice of whether to go before or after her transplant.  We chose to go after because while she was on dialysis, she was weak.  Her doctor compared having kidney failure to having the flu.  She also went to dialysis 3 times a week, so that would limit our time at Disney.  What I thought was so neat though, was that Make-A-Wish had the ability to even take care of that detail for a sick child.  We found that having a pediatric dialysis unit so close to us at Le Bonheur was truly a blessing.

Her wish was granted by a local middle school.  They have a fundraiser every year that the students participate in.  Since we homeschool, we told the girls that we were going to tour a school that they might go to someday.  As the girls got their “tour” every stop had a Disney theme.  Our last stop was the lunchroom.  Inside were hundreds of students and they shouted to my daughter as she entered that she was going to Disney.  The look on my daughter’s face was one I would never forget.  Liz Nelson then took to the stage and announced that this school was funding my daughter’s wish.  They had gifts for each of my girls.  My youngest went up and down the rows of students showing off her swag.  The students just ate it up.  I will never forget all the kids that came up to my daughter and wished her well and hugged her.  She was hugged by boys and girls, both black and white.  It didn’t matter.  She even got up on stage and said a few words of thanks.  It truly gave me hope for our future, seeing all of those students and how they embraced my family.

While my daughter was on dialysis and during the transplant process, my daughter had the trip to Disney to look forward to.  Dialysis was so hard.  She was so frail.  She was so brave.  I am so grateful for all of the prayers and love that we received during this hard time for our family.  We wouldn’t have made it without our friends and family which included the dear people from Make-A-Wish.

Our magical trip started as we pulled into the parking lot outside the Memphis Airport.  This detail was even taken care of for us.  After we parked the van, we rode the shuttle to the airport.  A Wish volunteer met us and helped us get through security.  After he put us on the plane, we were on our way.  This was the first time that my girls had ever flown.  We were met by another Make-A-Wish volunteer in Orlando who helped us get our bags and took us to where we picked up our rental van.  With directions to Give Kids the World, ~which is the resort that specifically serves sick kids from several different organizations like Make-A-Wish~ we navigated thru Orlando traffic and found Give Kids the World Village.  Talk about a magical place.  My kids could have just hung out there and not even gone to Disney and it would have been a great vacation.  We were driven to our duplex in a golf cart.  After settling into our duplex, we went to discover the resort.  We went fishing, rode the train, and checked out the arcade.  They have a great pool, but because there were thunderstorms around we couldn't swim.  The first night, we went to the Pirates and Princess Party.  My youngest will tell you that she is a real princess because she was crowned at that event.  My girls danced with Shamu in the onsite theatre.  Everything at Give Kids the World Village is free.  They will even deliver pizza to your duplex and you can have ice cream anytime you want, even for breakfast.  My girls rode ponies one morning, had their pictures taken with Mickey and Minnie who brought along some of their buddies, Goofy and Mary Poppins.  My daughter even has a special Mickey stuffed doll that is signed by Mickey.  Every day when we got back from one of the parks, the wish fairy had been to our duplex and left gifts.  We had to buy a suitcase on the last night just to get all of our goodies back to Memphis with us.

We had four days of passes for Disney, two day passes for Universal Kingdom and tickets for Sea World.  We also went to a water park one afternoon.  While at the parks, we had special parking and express passes.  No waiting in line at Disney.  All we had to do was go in the Express Pass line.  Everywhere we went, my kids were treated like royalty.  They got to be a part of the show at The Lion King Show at Animal Kingdom.  Make-A-Wish even supplied us with a gift card so that we could get the girls souvenirs and we wouldn’t have to spend our own money for food inside the parks.  This was a trip that my family will never forget.  My youngest wants to go back to Disney.  The problem is that there is no way that we could top what we experienced on our Wish trip.

It is for this reason that I am having an on-line Season of Wishes Spa.  Every year, Make-A-Wish MidSouth raises money to grant sick kids’ wishes with their Season of Wishes campaign.  Not only does Make-A-Wish MidSouth grant wishes for local kids, they grant wishes for sick kids from around the world because of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.   Last year, Make-A-Wish MidSouth granted 242 wishes.

20% of all the sales from the Season of Wishes Spa will go to the Make-A-Wish MidSouth Season of Wishes campaign PLUS proceeds from the Season of Wishes Gift Bags will be donated as well.  We will also have daily specials on luxurious spa and anti-aging treatments.  There will be door prizes, too!  To shop, just go to my Beautipage and 20% of all orders thru December 12, 2014 from my website will go to Make-A-Wish Midsouth.

To join the fun on FaceBook, just click here.

Please spread the word so that we can make Wishes come true!