March 2010 Newsletter

Lamentations 3:22-23: It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Translation: God's giving us new chances in 2010, and His blessings are ready and waiting.
Hello all,
I wanted to start off this newsletter with talking about my husband.
For the last three or four years, I have attended Oklahoma City's Urban League of Young Professionals' Black History Month event, featuring African-American authors.
I didn't think I was going to participate, but at the VERY last minute, my husband thought we could make it happen.
Because of my day time commitment, Kerry put me on a flight Friday evening, so I could make the Saturday event. He drove through inclement weather Friday morning from St. Louis to Oklahoma City (an eight hour drive) because it was cheaper for one of us to fly. When I arrived in OKC late Friday, after two delays, my dear husband was there to pick me up---now that's LOVE.

Fast forward a few weeks later...
I like surprises. Unfortunately, I'm too nosy not to find out about them. I always wanted a surprise party--birthday, Christmas, graduation, barbecue, doesn't matter, but after 51 years, I figured that wasn't going to happen. Remember, I'm nosy by nature.
But my husband did it again. Kerry and our daughter took me out to dinner (our son was working). No surprises there---that's a tradition. Once we arrived at the restaurant, the waiter led us to a booth table marked reserved. The first thing that came to mind, "Why are we eating at a booth when the three of us can eat at a table." He kept saying, "Special guests are coming." I'm thinking, "Yeah right. They aren't here and I'm ready to eat." Kerry was busy texting. I figured it was some of his bowling buddies. Our dishes had just arrived when I saw my close friend walk through the door. My mind wondered, "Hey, what is she doing here?" Then I realized she was my special guest. I looked up again, and here comes another good friend. Well, now the party started. I had such a great time and these friends came on a few hours notice. That was a surprise!

With age comes weight. My daughter hipped (is that word out of commission?) me to a website that keeps track of calories intake. Okay, so I set up an account at http://caloriecount.about.com. Let me just say, once I punched in all my stats, my weight loss projection should be at pre-pregnancy status. Hmmm, I'll have to think about this one.
Check out my pictures for February at photos.patsimmons.net

Are you counting down the days until spring, yet?
Mud slides, record snow fall, add in the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile and the avalanche in Afghanistan, you might wonder WHAT IS GOING ON? I'm not a meteorologist or an expert on the effects of green house gas, but I can point you in the right direction:
Luke 21:10 (New International Version)
Jesus said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven."
In the midst of the storms, God wants us to find comfort in Him. If you haven't picked up your Bible lately, dust it off a try reading a scripture a day. Believe it , or not, God will give you peace.

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Still Guilty Excerpt/Release March 25, 2010.

Here is the last excerpt for Still Guilty.
patsimmonsexcerpts.blogspot.com
Be one of the first 10 readers to post a review on Amazon and receive a free gift.

Book I: Guilty of Love--Parke and Cheney's story.
Book II: Not Guilty of Love--Malcolm and Hallison's story.
Book III: Still Guilty--Parke and Cheney and introducing Cheney's twin Rainey's story.
Book IV: Guilty By Association--Kevin "Kidd" Jamieson's story.
Book V: The Guilty Parties--Cheney's siblings: Rainey and Janae
Book VI: The Guilt Trip--Aaron "Ace" and Cameron Jamieson's stories.
Book VII: Free from Guilt--Grandma BB gets her act together--well, maybe.
Then it's time for Guilty: The Next Generation: Kami Jamieson and cohorts.
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ANNUAL RT BOOKLOVERS CONVENTION
Columbus, Ohio, April 28-May 2, 2010.
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Countdown to a book lover's delight: 400 authors and 1,000 readers meeting in the Midwest, and it's not too late to register.
Free prizes, give-a-ways (Sony e-readers for example), and lots of free books--bring an empty suitcase.
Plus, there will be nightly costume parties, plus I'm signing copies of all my books on Saturday, May 1st.
Visit www.rtconvention.com.
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Anything Inspirational
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For March, I've chosen a poem and a video, both about children.
Check out Cowboy Boots at anythinginspirational.blogspot.com
Next is a video on Youtube. Type in 10 year old Jared Sawyer preaches.
Enjoy both.

First African American Genealogy Conference in St. Louis.
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The highlights were seasoned speakers who not only tracked down their relatives, but learned more about their ancestors through letters, newspaper clips, and other search engines. I'm talking about the period between the mid-1850s to mid-1950s! Compared to these genealogy sleuths, I'm still a toddler, but I'm picking up the ball and running with it.
Here I am with the president of St. Louis Chapter of the African-American History and Genealogy Society, Charles Brown.
See more pictures at photos.patsimmons.net
Read my reflections on the conference at my blog: Talkgenealogy.blogspot.com
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