Roller Coaster of Fantastic

I call it event hangover. That's what I am suffering from. Maybe it's the adrenaline let down of something you have been working on really hard for a really long time, and then suddenly comes to an end.

If your job does not involve a dash of "theatrics," you may not understand what I am saying.

As a kid, I spent most of my formative years performing. Either in ballet or theater or writing or whatever. There would be the nervous audition, the pain-staking hours of rehearsal and blocking and planning, followed by the performance where everyone would show up, applaud, and go about their lives. Month in and month out, my life was full of highs with lots of praise and preparation, followed by lows .. where the applause fades and the release of adrenaline just oozes out of your blood stream.

Then I went into television. Same thing. Except now, there were these fantastic time constraints and daily applause AND hundreds of thousands of people in the audience. I would come in, arrange the stories, write the stories, sit in the booth and watch magic happen. Sure, it felt like a performance and in many ways it was.. but the difference is, it made a HUGE impact on people's lives. How do you come down from that?

Now.. it's a different game. One that involves many different puzzle pieces. Planning, negotiating, delegating, a dash of performance followed by applause and possibly the changing of a life. THAT is powerful and equally intoxicating.

I just had 90 straight days of super highs, super success, and now.. I wait for the next hoorah. It's like I am going through withdrawls.

It's like a drug - you crave that manic organization, the begging and pleading for donor dollars, the hand shakes and smiles and promises of, "Yes.. Yes.. I'll support your cause," and then the spotlight, and the regurgitation of information (your lines,) and suddenly.. the magic happens: people show up, they applaud, they learn, they donate, they revel in all of the art and culture... then it's over.

You sit, feet aching, playing the scenes over and over in your head.. hoping you smiled at the right person, shook the right hands, traded the right business cards...

Then you wait..

And do it all over again..

Just for Fun...

I thought, for fun, and for my new readers, I would do one of those "questionaires." There is a great website called Bzoink, and holds a million different little surveys and polls and questions.

I selected one at random and decided to give it a whirl. Please feel free to copy and paste the questions in your blog, it's a great way to share a little something about you with your readers!

Let's get started.

Have you ever?
Have you ever lied to someone to make them feel better? I honestly don't think so. Typically this is a problem for a lot of people. I believe in being honest, but I do try to soften the blow if necessary.
Have you ever talked on the phone for more than 3 hours at one time? I am sure I have, especially back in high school. I remember being on the phone with my friends for hours after school, even falling asleep on the phone.
Have you ever layed in the middle of the road? I have. But I got up very quickly. Not much of a risky/risk taker.
Have you ever danced in the rain? I actually have. But again, it felt sort of silly, so it was probably less than a minute.
Have you ever been on the computer until 3 am? Probably until 6am. I'm always on my laptop.
Have you ever gotten stitches? Yes, but only once. I slammed my thumb in a car door once and it sliced it and broke it in half.
Have you ever snitched on someone? Oh yeah. Someone really, REALLT bad,
Have you ever been snitched on? Probably.
Have you ever lost a friend over something little? Sure, many misconceptions and misunderstandings.
Have you ever broken someone's heart? Honestly, I don't know.
Have you ever felt heartbroken? Goodness, yes!
Have you ever killed a slug with salt? NEVER
Have you ever lied to someone you loved? Sure.
Have you ever watched a takeover on Fuse? Nope.
Have you ever shot a gun? No.
Have you ever been mud-bogging? No.
Have you ever been bitten by a horse?	NO! I tend to stay clear of horses.
Have you ever spent an entire day looking for cray fish? No.
Have you ever swam across a lake?	Yes
Have you ever dived into a public pool where there are 'no diving' signs? Most certainly,
Have you ever smacked someone across the face? Umm.. yeah, a few times.
Have you ever fallen in love? At least 1/2 a dozen times. ;-)
Have you ever stayed up all night playing video games? Yes. I love the Sims.
Have you ever told someone to go to hell? On multiple occassions.
Do you?
Do you like the color purple? I do like it.
Do you like Hollywood Undead? Not familair.
Do you eat your veggies? Daily!
Do you like to fish? Nope.
Do you like to hunt? Absolutely NOT.
Do you know how to swim? Most definitely.
Do you play a lot of video games? Sometimes. I stick to Heart, Mahjong and the Sims
Do you ever discriminate against anybody? I discriminate against rednecks.
Do you ever have a hunch that something isn't right but do it anyway?	Yes, and regretted it later.
Do you ever get yelled at for stupid stuff? I have.
Do you ever yell at people for stupid reasons? I don't yell anymore.
Do you like to play guitar hero? Never played.
Do you like broccoli? Actually, no. But I do like it in soup.
Do you like technology? Love.
Do you ever think about someone you don't want to think about? Sometimes.
Do you ever play with knives? Not usually.
Do you ever cuss? Not as much as I used to.
Do you ever sing in the shower? Not typically.
Do you ever hum while the vacuum is on? Nooo..
Who?
Who is the lead singer of Nickelback?	The guy with the blond hair.
Who is the lead singer of Creed?	The guy with the dark hair.
Who is the lead singer of Hollywood Undead?	Someone.
Who is the lead singer of Sugarland?	That blonde chick from Georgia
Who is the lead singer of Theory of a Deadman?	Someone.
Who is the president?	B to the O. (Obama)
Who was the 16th president?	Hee hee.. What the hell type of questions are these?
Who is the main robot in Futurama?	Have no idea.
Who is the lead singer of Linkin Park?	Someone.
Favorites.
Favorite color?	More than likely light blue/aqua
Favorite flavor ice cream?	Mint Chocolate Chip
Favorite food?	Lately - a french fry. (Because I am on a diet and I crave carbs.)
Favorite type of soap?	Bar soap. By Nubia
Favorite person?	ME
Favorite singer?	John Legend or Jill Scott
Favorite rapper?	Snoop
Favorite Punk Rock group?	The Ramones
Favorite alternative rock band?	Violent Femmes
This or That.
Hot or cold?	Cold
Spicy or mild?	Spicy
Sweet or salty?
Hamburger or hot dog?	Hotdog
Fat or skinny?	Neither
Short or tall?	Tall
Rock or country?	Rock
Love or lust?	Lust LOL
Hug or kiss?	Kiss
Soda or coffee?	COFFEE
Bath or shower?	Shower
Die or live forever?	Live forever
Listen to music or play music?	Listen
Melon or berries?	Melon
Watch tv or play video games?	TV
Drive or ride?	Ride
Tell a lie or hurt someone with the truth?	Hurt with truth
Swim or float?	Float
Eat or drink?	Drink
Random End Questions.
How old are you?	39
Guy or girl?	Chica
Age?	??
How old do you want to be when you die?	101
What song is stuck in your head?	Love on Top by Beyonce
Do you spend more time inside or outside?	Inside
Do you drink a lot of water?	SOOO much
Do you shower regularly or not so regularly? YES

Good Times...

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.
Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other.

How sweet it tasted! " ~ Buddha

I grabbed my strawberry this weekend.

Sleeping Beauty in my bedroom.. last weekend

Showing me her Taekwondo form

This weekend, (Friday night,) my friend Telisa and I headed downtown to a coffee cafe & lounge on Second Street called Roasted.

Telisa and I enjoying our coffee and beers outside in downtown Macon,.

Another old friend of ours, Chris, joined us for a little conversation.

Later we headed over to Cherry Street to a little ATL DJ-dance party called "Nonsense." We gave it two thumbs up.

Saturday night I headed to Leslie's house for Lisa's going away party. She's moving St. Mary's. (On the coast of Georgia at the Florida border.)

I brought her a little something something

Bye Bye Miss Lisa.

Leslie - Lisa's BFF

After the party, I met Telisa downtown for Bragg Jam 2012

The gift I made for Lisa...

Late night snack at the Greek Deli on the corner of Cherry and 2nd.

Now for a few videos...

The last bar we went to during Bragg Jam - at The Rookery on Cherry Street, in downtown Macon. Band was called Eye Candy.


First band we saw - "Jubee and the Morning After" at Fowl Play on Cherry Street.




Floco performing on Friday night at Roasted.




Marc Scibilia - from NYC-Nashville.. his song was featured on the tv show "Bones."

Sunday - A Day of Rest

In the Bible, it says that the Lord took rest on Sunday.
I have decided to follow suit.

My body is telling me to recharge. I think the best thing I can do for myself is just that - recharge.

I've had a fantastic weekend. I worked yesterday, went to a friend's going away party and then participated in Bragg Jam (a HUGE musical festival in Macon.) Friday night, I met up with friends and heard some great bands and even went dancing for a bit.

NOW... I need to find some time to recharge my battery.

I think there is something super spiritual about spending time alone and deep in thought. I'll admit, I don't know how "deep" my thoughts will get today.. but I do plan to spend time, in my pjs, in my room... recharging.

How do you recharge your own battery?

PS - How many times did I just say recharge? Clearly I am exhausted.

I don't typically order processed chicken.

I thought I would do a quick post on the whole chic-fil-a bit. I have gotten a few inbox messages from both good friends and random acquaintances.. so I thought I should explain myself.

I posted a thing on FB, only one story, about the whole boycott of Chic-fil-a. There was a wonderful piece written Conor Gaughan.. you can read it HERE. All I really said was that it was beautifully written and that I choose to no longer patron Chic-fil-A. The idea being.. I don't want to spend my money with a place that discriminates ANYONE.

By doing so, I am not discriminating against Christians, I still go to church and "tithe." What I don't support is a company that has openly supported "Christian" organizations that discriminate against homosexuals or openly bash. I am a Christian.. but I try REALLY, really hard to "love" everyone. I don't necessarily agree with everything.. but I do believe it is my job to treat people fair.

With that being said.. I have a confession to make.

I don't actually eat chicken from any fast food restaurant (anymore.) Nor have I in a really REALLY long time.

I won't even eat chicken in a regular restaurant, unless I know where the chicken is purchased.

Seriously.

Ask my mother - she made some chicken dish, and I asked  what brand of chicken it was, and she said, "Oh Nicole.. it's chicken. Just eat it."
I walked to the trash can and saw it was Tyson. I smiled and said, "No way."

Let me just take the whole chicken boycott one step further, shall I?







At the end of the day.. should we eat chicken from big business at all?

Things I Have Learned This Week

Here we go:

1. That I can feel like a million bucks one minute, and all it takes is one negative thought/word/deed and the mood can shake. However, I am EXTREMELY resilient. Less than 24 hours and I am 100%. Take that haters.

2. That a whale is 98 feet and 3 tons. (Yeah, I had to look it up.) I do not look like a whale on TV.

3. My weight loss staple and trick - turkey bacon and egg whites.

4. Blond eyebrows sort of freak me out.

5. By gones should be by gones.

6. There is a new dance, "The Shakira," and my friend Telisa and I are the queen at it.

7. No doubt, I'm going to miss my friend Lisa. She's moving. I learned that I can form new/old friendships and grow close to people in a very short time.

8. I am still under the philosophy - 'I'll believe it when I see it.'

9. My new life is shaping up to be FANTASTIC.

10. Some of my financial worries will soon subside.... getting a raise (by the end of the month.)

11. I have a new found sense of security, now that my insurance has kicked in.

12. I am totally working the Weight Watchers program. I actually have will power. Woot!

13. I'm okay.  I'm working on me. I am living my life. If someone else once to join that ride, they are more than welcomed. But you can't make those you love, love you back. (Even though they are technically/legally bound to do so. LOL)

14. I love when I discover new music. Yes, I just learned this week.. that I enjoy the discovery.

15. I need more dancing in my life.. Again. You know what that means - time to look for a dance class, in the town that made me fall in love with dancing in the first place. Dare I look for an adult ballet class? Dare I contact an old teacher of mine? Dare I? Dare I? Ohh... maybe not yet... 30 more pounds... hmmm..

16. Prunes and probiotics are freaking fantastic.

17. Did I mention I am loving life?

18. Out of pain and turmoil, I do some of my best writing/creating/developing. Why are tortured souls more creative? hahahahaa

19. I have decided on red as the accent for the living and dining room.

20. I wonder if I can find some art history or womens studies classes to take.. for credit or not for credit, don't care. Hmmm...

You gotta see...

I have not experienced any amazing documentaries this week, and for that I apologize. My whole week sort of got thrown a curve ball (don't know what I am talking about, read Monday's post.)

Instead I escaped with Temptation Island - Season 2.

Seriously.

I could not look away. LOL

Fascinating social experiment. Ridiculous.. but fascinating.

BUT.. I am enjoyed some music you should check out.

I recently discovered - Fun.

Yep -F.U.N. That simple.

You may already know about them... I did not, well.. not until a couple of weeks ago.

Check them out:

What do you think?

Crunchy & Creamy?!

Those are my two favorite words when it comes to food - crunchy & creamy.
BUT, that usually means something along the lines of cheese, chips or dip.

Almost 6 weeks ago, I joined weight Watchers. I have reached my 5% goal and heading toward goal #2 - my 10% weight loss goal to my goal weight. It's ironic my mean-letter-writer decided to "school" me on predisposing myself to health risks and obesity. At first, I wondered if it was someone I knew - but then I realized, it could not be. I worked for the American Heart Association for five years and always preached preventative measures for good health. I also am a HUGE ADVOCATE for organic living. The problem is - I suffer from two things: laziness and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Two components to slow weight loss.

I won't get into PCOS here, but look it up. You'll understand then how someone who was in really good shape most of her life suddenly gained weight, and had hardly changed a single thing. But that doesn't matter...

What matters is this article in Shape magazine about 40 different crunchy and creamy snacks for under 200 calories!!!

Even if you are not "dieting," these are fantastic treats to curve those little well.. not to repeat myself too much.. but.. crunchy and creamy. Yummm...

Here is just a sampling of ideas:

Pretzels with Almond Butter
Original Pop Chips with Avocado & Sun dried Tomatoes
Frozen blueberries with 14 whole almonds
Multi grain crackers with light ricotta and chopped dried apricots
Cucumber slices with Laughing Cow swiss cheese
Air popped popcorn with unsweetened cocoa
Cottage cheese with Honey Brown rice crackers
Peanut Butter celery with strawberries..

And the list goes on!

Check out this fantastic tip HERE

Tell me.. which one is your favorite and what would you add to the list?

PS - I want to clarify something. One day, someone said to me... How can you eat so much "organic food" and not be skinny? The answer is - Organic does not mean low fat.

Here is the proper definition of organic: are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic foods are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.

Hope that helps!

What I'm Obsessing Over...

This week I thought I would introduce you to one of my obsessions, instead of products I am crazy for!
Did you know I am crazy for birds?? Yep - always have been.

As a child, I thought parrots were amazing. As a teenager, my bedroom was covered in pink flamingos. In college, I became a little fascinated with the owl and I've ALWAYS been wild for peacocks.

This year, the raven or crows (any blackbird) has my attention.

Anyway.. that's just one random fact about me.

Here is a sampling of beautiful bird pictures I have collected. To see the original photographer please click HERE. You can even see my full collection there.

Tuesday Recipe ~ Revitalizing Sea Salt & Rosemary Oil Body Scrub

Time for another recipe - as promised!

Do you exfoiliate? I'm not talking about your face, I mean the rest of your body? Well you should! I have the WONDERFUL homemade body scrub you simply must try.

Revitalizing Sea Salt & Rosemary Oil Body Scrub

1/2 cup coarse sea salt
1/4 cup rosemary oil
body scrub tool

Dip the body-scrub tool in a big of oil, then dip in the coarse salt. Rub over the skin in a circular motion, paying attention to rough spots. Rinse off with warm water, pat dry and moisturize.

Easy - and your body will love you for it!

And so it goes.. Racism & Size-ism 101

I had a choice this evening. To either address the issue or pretend that it never happened.

I figured if I did the latter, I was not being true to myself. This blog may have lost a lot of the super-personal/sensitive issues, but one thing I believe in more than anything else is to take those things that happen in my life, good or bad, and share them here so we can talk about them.

As you know, I started a new job about 90 some-odd days ago. I LOVE it. I love what I do, I love who we serve, I love the mission, the volunteers, the staff - it is a wonderful place for someone like me.

We had a super successful event this past Friday, and we had a ton of press around it. Actually, and not to brag, but we had a ton of press around all of our events. With all of this recent attention, I choose to be more selective over my ramblings.

But I think you need to see this one, because there is so much to learn from it.

I woke up this morning feeling spectacular. I'm so not just saying this, I was in a fantastic mood and felt like conquering the world. I woke up feeling grateful, feeling calm and I sincerely could not wait to get to work to chat with everyone about our great success.

Then I got this letter and here is what it said:

My heart sank to my stomach.

I stood there for a moment in shock, I had not even sat down at my desk yet.
Here in my hand was my first piece of hate mail.

I knew it might come one day.


I took a deep breath  and headed downstairs and showed it to one of my co-workers. We both sort of shook our heads in disbelief.  Look, I get it - someone sees a white girl doing a ton of interviews about a museum that showcases African American art, history and culture. Okay. Fine, that can be a little jarring for some.

Then this white girl happens to have an interesting last name. Okay, that can be a little jarring.

Then this girl happens to be.. well.. not perfect. I am not thin. Not even close. I used to be, but that doesn't matter now. What this person decided to do was to take a good close look at me and try to break me down because of my size, my skin color and because I have a foreign last name.

You have this white, southern catholic, chubby professional married to an egyptian sunni muslim, working at an african american museum. For people who have a problem with diversity - this must really shake them to the core.

I love my job. I do and I will continue to. The place I work has a very diverse team, all shapes and sizes, ethnicities, etc.

So that is not the issue.

I guess the issue I have, is the good old fashioned modern day bullying. That's what it is. It took me back to elementary school when 'Angela' got her friends to send me a mean note, making fun of me. Or to middle school, when the school bully, 'Lori,' decided to push me around. Or to high school, when some random girl got mad and tried to ruin a relationship due to jealously. . etc.. We've all been there.

But at 39, I did not see this one coming... or did I?

This community is very much divided when it comes to race. It is very much divided between the haves and the have nots. It's a beautiful place... but there are some deep seated issues we all need to work on.

I am one person who has decided to return to her hometown. I decided to work somewhere I could ACTUALLY make a difference. I'm going to hold my head high and do just that. I love my job. I love where I live. I love my life.

BTW - No matter how much weight I gain or lose, my face is mine. My voice is mine. My eyes are mine. My heart is mind. My mind is mine. My education is mine. My history is mine. My success is mine. There is nothing, no one can do, to change that.

PS- Now time to address the "viewers" comments:

Thank you for your letter. An email would have sufficed and used less trees. As a matter of fact, yes- my last name is "African," my husband is from Egypt which is in North Africa. However, Abdou is Arabic. I do happen to like "Negroes" as you put it - some of my closest friends happen to be African American. Yes, I am white and yes, I do work at a museum dedicated to African American art, history and culture. I was hired because I was qualified and it had nothing to do with race. PS: you are absolutely right, I do need to lose weight. Luckily, I am working very hard to do so. 13 pounds down - thanks for caring. (FYI - As for looking like a whale on TV... well.. I am just a wee bit lighter than 3 tons and much shorter than 98 feet.)

Happy Monday Folks!

PS - I STILL Love Macon. So take THAT, haters. ;-)

Weekend In Review

It was a really GREAT weekend. Very relaxing, a little time with family... but I did kick it off with an amazing museum gallery opening reception on Friday night.

That's me. Silly little self-portrait. Ready for the opening!

The Jamaican Kitchen provided the fantastic food!

Honestly, it was standing room only - the galleries were bursting with curious guests

One of my co-workers, Leila with her husband Tim. Leila is our grants writer and she hails from London and her husband, Tim is the head of the colloborative journalism department at Mercer University. Really fantastic people. They just moved to Macon from the ATL.

Loretta and I at the reception. Loretta is a Pan African Festival committee member and a fantastic person all around. She is an independent broker/sales person for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia. Need some insurance? She's your girl!

Dean Brown and the Dub Shak did a wonderful job of keeping the guests entertained!

Trysha and I. Trysha is the daughter of one of my co-workers. Fun Fact - Trysha is an up & coming R&B singer. (She also sings Opera.) Seriously.. she will on the verge of going BIG.

Kristine and I. Kristine is a FANTASTIC folk artist and seamstress. She and I have known each other about 20 years (I dated her brother for a very long time back in college.) She came to Macon from the Atl area for this opening.

Michelle & I. Michelle is our part-time guest services person at the museum. She is a fantastic addition for our team. She just moved to Macon from Atlanta, also.

My friend Margaret came to support me! Margaret and I met almost 10 years ago at my church. She hails from South Africa. She is a fantastic friend, and a teacher.

My friend Lisa came to visit. Sad news- Lisa is moving to St. Mary's, Georgia. Good news  - That's in the golden isles of Georgia and there is BEACH.

My buddy at work - Adra. Adra is our guest services person and IT. This girl is fantastic!

My HUMBLE abode. Dated cabinets - BUT.. I found a place for all of those owl paintings my mom gave me. (She taught a class in how to paint an owl.. did not know what to do with the paintings.. I offered to take them.)

Look who came for a visit? Tickling her Uncle egyptian.

We bought a new couch and chair. Leather. Yes, I killed a cow or two.

And we bought new chairs for the dining room table. Leather also. More cows killed in the making of this home. Still need to purchase or have art created for the walls in there.

Forcing her to eat her organic herb salad and orange wedges. LOL

I gave Auttie her a bath! First time washing a child's hair. VERY interesting.

We spent the morning at the pool.

Going out with friends!



How did your weekend go?

Things I Have Learned This Week

Let's get started, shall we?

1. That I have very little tolerance for people who are soo insecure, they feel the need to throw out their resume every conversation they have with you.

2. Apparently my tolerance is so low, that I feel compelled to through MY resume right back at them.

3. FYI - Throwing out your resume is when people constantly tell you about their past experience. I gave it this term a LOOOOONG time ago. If in conversation, not writing, I EVER do that, please punch me in the face. I'll understand, I promise.

4. That maybe it is time to cut my losses with someone. But then again... it could all work out.. but then again... life is too short... but then again...

5. Clearly I have not officially learned anything in #4 other than the fact that I am indecisive when it comes really BIG issues.

6. I have insomnia.

7. If you consume egg whites and turkey bacon, you CAN lose weight.

8. That I need new shoes delivered to my door each month. I am seriously considering Justfab.com. I need someone's experience with it. Tell me what you think of the service.

9. There seems to be another wave of break-ups and divorces about to happen in my social circle. Why do these things always happen in groups? BIZARRE.

10. That I want another degree. But I want a fun one. I was considering an E-MBA (Executive MBA) at Weslyan College.. but honestly, I want to do something creative..

11. I need a new camera.

12. I need two bar stools.

13. I need a house warming party.

14. I need to get a GA driver's license...

15. And a GA tag.

16. And a library card

17. My eyes are about to close...

18. I am too tired to finish this list..

19. Wait.. almost there...

20. DONE!

You Have Got to see.. Vanishing of the Bees

I've always thought bees were something special. From the way they engineer a garden to the fact that they produce the liquid gold so many of us love.. bees are incredible creatures.

I heard a while back about an issue with the honey bees. Apparently, they were disappearing. Not dying, not flying to another place, actually vanishing into thin air. As I was scanning the documentaries to watch today, I decided to finally watch "Vanishing of the Bees."



I'm alarmed. I disappointed in our EPA. I am even more so opting for organic options.

According to the film makers of "Vanishing of the Bees," honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives.

The films description goes on to say: Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomenon has brought beekeepers to crisis in an industry responsible for producing apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and a hundred other fruits and vegetables. Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables.

Vanishing of the Bees follows commercial beekeepers David Hackenberg and Dave Mendes as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. The film explores the struggles they face as the two friends plead their case on Capital Hill and travel across the Pacific Ocean in the quest to protect their honeybees.

Filming across the US, in Europe, Australia and Asia, this documentary examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and mother earth. As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers indicate alternative reasons for this tragic loss. Conflicting options abound and after years of research, a definitive answer has not been found to this harrowing mystery.

Apparently there is something we can all do to help keep our honey bees!

1. Plant a garden. For more information on how to do so the right way, check out the following websites:

- Organic Gardening Information

- American Community Gardens

- Organic Store Locator

2. Get a bee hive.

- Bee keeping naturally

- Organic Bee Keeping groups

3. Buy Organic. The most powerful way to help the bees is to vote with your forks.

- Organic Consumers Association

- Find a local farmer's market

4. Organic Pest Control.

- Articles on Safe Gardening and Pesticides

- Tipnut.com - How to make organic pesticides at home

- Land Stewardship

There are many businesses that are "bee friendly."  You can see a list with links to their websites HERE.

If you are interested in making a monetary donation:

Save the Honeybee Foundation
7467 Koolau Rd.
Kilauea, HI 96754

Please take a moment, click on the links I provided, watch the trailer, and watch "Vanishing of the Bees." I know I was able to find it on Netflix.

Remember - Shop organically, don't use harmful pesticides, and consider planting a garden or starting your own bee hive.

**resource: vanishingbees.com
Photos - Pinterest (see my board, Just & Good for original sources.)