"Smoking Smarties" Has Parents Fuming

Story:

Go to Story Here


Ok I have an issue with this story. I think its INSANE!!! Blown way out of proportion. It's aiding this over-sensitive world we live in today!!!

First of all - if you are NOT doing your job as a parent and talking to your kids - you are the only one to blame here.

What was this kid doing so wrong?? He was first of all a KID! He was imitating the world he sees. He was trying to belong, fit in and be cool. Come on... even us adults still do stupid shit for these reasons and we know better. Really...

Yes as a kid I bought and did pretend smoking with candy cigarettes. Did I smoke later - YES!!! Did I also do drugs later... YES!!!

Is it because I was allowed to buy and pretend to smoke candy cigarettes... FUCK NO!!!

My choices were my choices.. I smoked because my parent did, my friends did... I wanted to fit it. At the end of the day I was responsible. My parent should have talked to me about this... My path to smoking and drugs would have happened with or without the damn candy cigerettes.

Now do I do either today - NO!!! Again I took responsiblity and stopped both years and years ago.

I have a 16 year old boy at home... does he do either NO!! Does he even want to??? NO!!! Why!?!?!? Cause we talk constantly about everything. I do not believe in keeping anything from him. If its not taboo, there is no desire to run to it. So we talk about everything. Imagine that....WE TALK!!! Does that mean someday he won't try it??? I don't know. He might. But I have laid the foundation and the information is out there. The rest is up to him. He KNOWS the dangers and repercussions. I have done my job!!

Am I saying its a good thing to have on the market... No. But for god sakes... we have play guns on the market too... thats far more dangerous then this. Think about all the things on the market or out in the open that aid us to another way of thinking or affect our behavior... sexy ads... language on TV shows... hell seeing other people walk around with TATTOOS AND PEIRCINGS... *shifty eyes* Cause we are bad you know.

If we start putting everything in a closet that would aid anyone else to think outside the confines of their own mind... then everything including each other would be GONE!!!

I really wish the damn world would STOP pointing fingers at everyone and everything else and we as a people would start taking responsibility for ourselves.

For god sakes Parents, do your job and stop expecting everyone else to raise your children. If you want your kids to know the dangers...TALK TO THEM!!

This was just ridiculous... *shakes head*

New York - East Coast Experience - Day 6 - Final Day

Well after a undeniably unforgettable trip... we have finally found ourselves to have arrived at our last day in New York.

I planned something quite special for this day... Special for us that is....

After a tremendous amount of vacationing we found ourselves rather tuckered at this point and just needed something relaxing to do...

So I booked us a 3 hour cruise... This was perfect and so much fun...

We could not have planned a better event to do on such a dark, rainy and cold day... the cruise director gave us a spoken tour of everything we saw... he was awesome... and funny... totally made the cruise...

We ate, I drank and it was just relaxing... exactly what we needed... this was a blast!!!!

Here is what we saw on our cruise... Enjoy!!!

Watch Cruise Video Here


After our cruise... it was now 6pm and at 7pm I had one more thing to do... probably the most special thing yet...

We were going to see 'Wicked' on BROADWAY!!!


OMG... I could not wait!!!

Here are some pictures I got before we went in...

First we arrive at the Gershwin *butterflies* and I rush to Will Call get our tickets.
God only knows I paid a small fortune for them.



Next we went to get some cash at the corner since I depleted what I had for the
trip...

















We were not allowed cameras past the lobby so I got these pics before we went in...






3 hours later and we walked out mesmerized... This was hands down the greatest play I ever saw. Worth everything I spent... The stage was fantastic and the talent of these actors was just unbelievable... we were enthralled with the entire story and every scene... I glance over at Cody once in awhile and he was just engrossed. HE LOVED IT... EVERY BIT OF IT... I just knew he would...

afterwards I bought all the memorabilia could get my hands on... My favorite item was the official Wicked poster will all the players signatures on it.




This will be framed and put up in my home....

Now we realize our vacation was coming to a close...... before we went home for the last time, we were in Time Square so we decided to go eat... we choose the Hard Rock Cafe for our last New York restaurant...

Perfect... I love the Hard Rock Cafes... atmosphere is so fun!!! we ate and just enjoyed our last meal in New York... we than walked through Time Square and just took it in one last time... said our goodbyes...

We hit a Starbuck's as we did every night and went back...

We packed and went to bed....

Next day we spent all day coming back home to California... after over 12 hours, it felt good to be home.... real good!!!

But without a doubt in my mind I will go back someday, sooner than later too... so much I still want to see and do...

New York definitely stole a piece of my heart... and one day I need to return to get it back...

Truly a city that never sleeps, so intoxicating, so bright and so very alive...

Goodbye wonderful, beautiful, enchanting New York... my new wonderful friend!

New York - East Coast Experience - Day 5

This grand day we have decided to start with Central Park....

We take the subway and it takes us to 5th & 53th, we make our way to the surface... we needed to get to 5th and 59th... so for 6 blocks we had to walk...

walk we did...

Walked down famous 5th avenue... you better believe it was as Ritzy as it should be... we walked past Tiffany's, Gucci, etc... very regal doorman at every entrance...

Here is our walk down 5th avenue...

There was so many churches like this... they were glorious... I never made it to St
Patrick's Cathedral which was one I so wanted to see... I have always been drawn to that church for some reason and I am not even Catholic... Google:
St. Patrick's cathedral New York and select Images at top and see what I am talking about...

Its breathtaking...

anyways here is one we saw...



Just some street shots.



Another gothic church.



LOL.. you can its 3:35pm.



All the people walking down 5th avenue...



Details like this everywhere...






The top of "The Plaza" a famous hotel in New York.



We ran out of time and never got to take a ride... but I took a picture of one.. lol


Now... we are officially at Central Park....

















The famous rock you see in movies that so many stand on...









Yep, that's the famous skating rink..






Now it was time to visit the Central Park Zoo before it closed...






























The very famous Penguins in numerous movies...
these guys were so fun to watch and were so verbal and active...

I could have watched them all day.







I think he was in timeout... he stood there forever like that... it was hilarious...















The underpass you go through to exit Central Park Zoo...




Time to explore the park a little more...

We decided to stop and just enjoy the views...






Cody took this one..




Cody still had the camera... ugh!



I got it back now.. lol




Resting our dogs... Notice the tennis shoes?? ON ME!!! Yea my first pair I have owed since I was 17...

I bought them because of the design on the side... but they rocked and were so comfy...









OK time to explore... OMG BALTO!!! Cody get up there!












Ok this is where we decided to travel into the park some... we only ever
conquered one side of the park... next time I will visit the west side...

The final pictures of Central Park... see if anything here looks familiar...



Bethesda Fountain - as you can see there was no water in it...
I was bummed. But it was glorious none the same. I couldn't believe I was there.

Every movie went through my head I had seen this in...







Numerous movies used this location...




Staircase just the other side of Bethesda Fountain and Terrace to Literary Walk












Famous Literary Walk






Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park




Very famous Literary Walk - How many movies has this been in... we sat here for about 30 minutes. The atmosphere is surreal... it was like heaven... a different world. I loved being there... watching the performers and people... beautiful and so serene. I could sit here all day and be completely happy. I was here... another dream fulfilled!!!









You should have seen our faces when we found it... was totally on accident... I was looking for Bethesda... and I saw the stairs and then looked to the left and my mouth fell open... I yelled at Cody and pointed and he said OMG!!!

He stayed and sat there when I went down to the fountain...

I also remember Maid in Manhattan... Enchanted... Definitely Maybe... White Castle.... August Rush... and so many more...

It's funny, because Where Literary Walk is... at the end of it is the staircase that walks down where Bethesda Fountain and Terrace is... you never would know that from the movies... but they are right next to each other which is amazing...

My only disappointment was we did not get to the other side of the park where the arch is... I wanted to go to the Art
Museum there and Tavern on the Green...

Just was not enough time to do everything... but that just means I need to go back.... lol...

its crazy looking at all these now... because now I am fully back in my regular living and its almost like I was never there... just a memory now... but the pictures bring back the feelings of being there... and
that's why pictures are so important to me... they keep it all alive...

We ended our day with a trip to the Empire State Building... not before we ate... we walked up a few streets and found a POP Burger... yea, probably THE most expensive burger joint I have ever been to. It was $30 for 2 burgers, fries and a couple of sodas... and they were not very good... lol

after we ate, we... I mean CODY hailed us a cab... and off to Empire State Building we went...

After a barrage of lines... few elevator rides, totaling about 2 hours, we make it to the top....

we walk outside and well, the view was... eh!?!?!?









That bright area to the right was Times Square.











WOW!!!! OMG!!!! This was amazing.... unreal... absolutely fantasmic!!!

Then we decided time to go home... it was late...and we had one more day to go....

can you believe there was a line to leave too??

lol...

we grabbed a cab, hit the path and home we were... vacation was definitely kicking out butts... we were tired....

ok... we are coming to a close...
stay tuned for the finale...