FRIDAY FUN VIDEO --I heart this wedding!!!

This is, imo, the PERFECT wedding!!!  Those folks in Minnesota really know how to have a good time.

My sweetie and I laughed and laughed, but when the bride and groom came down the aisle together, I teared up.

Enjoy:

Love freedom? Here's a way to help a Marine!

Today I'm cutting and pasting from the Marine Graduation foundation, which needs your help.

About the Marine Graduation Foundation

The men and women who choose to serve our country as a United States Marine endure more in one day of boot camp than most of us will ever experience in a lifetime and they do this every day for 13 weeks so that you and I can sleep at night knowing they are there to protect us.

None of these men and women should ever have to be alone on the day they can proudly say, "I am a United States Marine". Sadly though, there are many Marines without their families when this day finally comes. Not every family can afford the trip to Parris Island, SC, or San Diego, CA, to share this day with their new Marine, and that is just not acceptable.

The Marine Graduation Foundation became a recognized non-profit organization in May 2005 with the help of people like yourself who chose to make a difference. We are now seeking funds to ensure that NO NEW MARINE is standing alone without the support of his or her family on Family Day and Graduation. No donation is too small and with your help, we can make Family Day, as well as the Graduation, a proud, memorable day for a man or woman who has chosen to serve our country as a United States Marine. Thank you in advance for your kindness.

If you would like to mail a donation, please make checks or money orders payable to Marine Graduation Foundation and send it to:

Marine Graduation Foundation
C/O Gretchen Miller
2837 Charles St.
St. Joseph, MO 64501

You may also send a donation from their website.
Any contribution is tax deductible.

FRIDAY FUN VIDEO -- Walking, singing barbarian Alpha hero romance cover

For those looking for a true Alpha Hero, I just stumbled across this walking, singing romance cover at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.

This scene from Jupiter's Darling (1955) is horrifyingly, fascinatingly funny, though I'm not sure I'll ever be able to think of Howard Keel the same way again!!  Oh, and although he sang the dreaded "bodice" word, I have to admit I was hugely disappointed when he failed to rip the redhead's bodice.    Enjoy:

BREAKPOINT RELEASE DAY BOOK GIVEAWAY

So, today is -- FINALLY!!! --- Breakpoint's release day when hottie Air Force Combat Controller Dallas O'Halloran, who turned out to be the charmer of my High Risk guys, will be appearing at a store near you!

To celebrate, I'm doing some guest blogging. The first one, at Love is An Exploding Cigar, is about how the covers for the High Risk books were chosen and invites you to share what you look for in a book cover.

And this second one, at My Book Addiction and More, is why I choose to write military heroes in the first place.

But I do share a story on both about this picture from when I was growing up:

And did I mention I'm giving away books? :)

4th of July fun video

Just in time for the 4th of July, my friend, Patty Gardner Evans, sent me a Washington Post article and video about Glenn Donnellan, a violinist with the National Symphony Orchestra, playing the national anthem.

Okay, I know you're saying, "So? Lots of people play that. Especially on the 4th of July."

How about Donnellan playing the Star Spangled Banner on a violin he made himself?

Still, my son's best friend from college has followed in his family's tradition of making violins. So, while that's cool, it's admittedly not all that unusual.

How about making an electric violin from a Louisville slugger?

While getting ready to go to Arkansas as part of a program offering concerts and outreach programs to more rural parts of the country which might not be all that familiar with classical music, Donnellan was looking for an instrument he could use in a children's concert. Thinking it would be cool to tell kids that hey, they could make their own violins, he proceeded to do exactly that, spending hours backstage at the Kennedy Center, using the stagehands' drill press to make holes in a baseball bat.

The resultant anthem isn't exactly what you might expect from a classical musician -- although the arrangement is his own, it's reminiscent of Jimmy Hendrix -- but Donnellan claims eclectic taste in music and says that "in terms of playing outside the classical box, if you can feel it, you can play it."

And he can definitely do that.

So, wishing everyone a super and safe holiday, and with huge appreciation to all those who've served our country so we can celebrate our freedom, enjoy: