Support your local library update #5

I forgot to post last month, but I read "The Day the Music Died A Mystery" in February. For some odd reason, I didn't really check out a lot of books from the library last month. It comes and goes in spurts for me.

I checked out three books a couple of weeks ago (or maybe just last week, can't remember for sure) - Quest for a Maid (really difficult to get into), Charlie and the Chocolate Factore (again difficult to read since I've seen the movie and to me the movie was great) and The Chocolate Cat Caper (finished; it was an enjoyable book). I have three more coming, two more in the Chocoholics series and one in Deborah Sharp's series - Bauer Mysteries but I can't remember the main character's name.

So two finished to add to my list and two not finished this go round. I'll try to do better and keep my postings up-to-date for the library challenge - lol - E :)

Foothills Writers' Guild Workshop and owls?

This weekend was the annual Foothills Writers' Guild workshop. Keynote speaker Friday night was Richard Speight and Saturday lunch was Edie Melson. Guest speakers included Pam Zollman (Children's author), Jill Jones (Therapist who uses poetry in her therapy), Christopher Branch (musician), and Jane Freidman was supposed to be there but apparently there was a problem with her flight on Thursday so she didn't get to make it this time (she's pretty awesome as she speaks about ways to market and network on the internet). So what do owls have to do with the Foothills Writers' Guild workshop?

We have owls on our property and I've heard them many times "hoot-hoot-hooting" but I've never seen them. The kids have made claims of seeing them before. When I was putting my stuff in my car Saturday morning to head to Anderson University (the place where we hold our conference every year), I heard several owls. Didn't really think about it until I was near the end of the driveway and one flew over my car. I looked to my passenger seat to get my camera and take a picture but had forgotten my camera. I turned my car around and came back to get it. By time I came outside, the owl had flown to a different tree. I saw him and snapped the following picture of him: . Glory be. My first owl. After I snapped a second picture of him, he flew to another tree and lo and behold, a second owl flew up to the same area he was. They hoot-hoot-hooted at each for like 2 seconds and then they squawked like crazy birds. The second one flew away from the first one but in the same tree, just a couple of branches over.

Then the first one took off and flew to a tree closer to my driveway; the second one followed and I tried snapping a picture of the two of them on the same branch in that tree but I wasn't steady enough. While tryng to snap the two together, I heard another one to the side and glanced over and sure enough, a third one had flown into a tree but he was hidden; I didn't get to see him.

So my excursion to participate in the Foothills Writers' Guild workshop this past weekend was well worth getting up earlier than I'm used to as I got to finally see the owls on our property.

The workshops was awesome too. I sat in Richard's, Edie's and Pam's classes and then during Pam's second workshop, I wrangled my adopted daughter who is a student at AU to help me practice my workshop presentation I'll be doing at the homeschool conferences. She brought her boyfriend so I got to do it for an audience of 1 plus her since she had already done part of my presentation before (she's played the game before). After we had our refreshment break, they called some more friends in (four young ladies), and so I did my workshop presentation again for them. I found out that I was incorrect in my "Road Trip" game as there are possibly many more routes than the eight I had originally figured. Now I need to go through the game again and come up with all the possible ways to make it across the United States without entering any state more than once. Thanks to Jess and Vincent and all the young ladies at AU for helping me out.

So now you have it - Foothills Writers' Guild workshop and owls! - E :)

A glimpse into my life

For more on what I've gone through over the past year and what's coming up in the future, stop over at Stephen Tremp's blog and leave a comment. I'd like to know what some of you writers go through during a typical day or month or whatever - E :)

From NaNo to published - A Gift From Above -

Heather Paye is my guest today. Let's find out how she went from a 30-day novel challenge to published. (Of note, Heather refers to NaNo as a contest, but it really is a challenge of oneself to prove you can write 50,000 words in 30 days. I've participated in NaNo as a cheerleader for my friends and actually did write a YA novel a couple of Novembers ago, which I'm hoping to edit and publish one of these days, but working on my 50-state stories is my main objective for the time being.)

So Heather, please tell us about your experience with NaNoWriMo that led to you becoming a published author:


When I heard of this contest called "NaNoWriMo" I decided to participate and write a 50,000 word novel in one month's time. After all, how hard could it be? I wrote a novel before, so writing another one wouldn't be too hard. Well, I found out it was no walk in the park, you'd be surprised at how often life hits you, and you spend every waking moment working on producing words that make sense. Anyways, I emerged victorious. At the beginning it was understood there were no prizes, just a little printable certificate and your rough draft for your novel. It turns out that the year that I participated each person who managed to write 50,000 words or more were to receive a free proof copy if they decided to self-publish their book. I had nothing to lose, so I went for it. I had six months to get this all done (there was an expiration date on the free proof copy coupon), so I worked away, and four months later we welcomed "A Gift From Above" to stores, a self-published gem. Today, the first novel that I wrote "The Jewel of Onsolot" is being prepared for publication at a traditional publisher. So you can see, I'm not so one-sided when it comes to publishers. Age has never really been an issue for me when it comes to publishing, as long as you're serious and you maintain a professional tone publishers will - and do - take you seriously.

I think that the publishing process is the same for both traditional and self-publishing, at least up to a certain point in the game anyways. Write the book, edit until your eyes fall out, put them back in, and edit some more. After that, you should search for publishers, either traditional or self-publishers, beware of vanity presses though, not that they're bad, but they require that you pay money (usually thousands) to get your book published. After deciding on a publisher then things take two different points. For traditional publishing, you just read the submission guidelines, gather everything you need, edit EVERYTHING, and then send it in. Traditional publishing takes patience and you should be a team player, even if you're not. For self-publishing, it's not quite so mellow, being the editors, illustrator, layout and design, marketer, it's all very time consuming. Never a dull moment though with so much to do. Either route you choose be sure to have a great marketing plan, in this economy, you'll need it. Get out a calendar and mark on each day what you'll do to promote your book, it does help.

"A Gift From Above" is doing alright swimming in this economy, but it could be doing better. Some months there are plenty of purchases, while others are quieter than empty fields. These days, people just won't buy a book that costs even $5 when they could buy some essential item they need to survive, like a loaf of bread. Unless you're doing really well, and there is a lot of buzz about your book, then your book won't be seeing so much buying action. Marketing is one of the hardest parts of publishing a book, because it is the longest, it is forever on going. I have found that "A Gift From Above" sells MUCH better in the public eye. I haven't found out why this is yet, possibly just because of the convenience of having the book right there and being able to take it home right away rather than waiting for it to ship or download.

For more on Heather and to order her books, you may go to the following:

Heather's blog
Heather's fan site
Heather's Createspace store
Amazon purchase link
Amazon kindle purchase link

"Tritium" anyone?

The word that was challenged (team spelled it "tridium") and the pronouncer said they were correct; our team challenged and the judges allowed them to get a new word to spell. The difference between winning team and tied for 2nd place. (If the team that got this word had not won, Anderson County Library table would have won.) We did score 18 points and two other teams scored 18, with Anderson County Library scoring 19 and the winning team, Wachovia Bank reps with 20 points. So you can see it was close.

The hors d'oeuvres were really good, and dessert was wonderful too. I'm glad I got to participate in this event and hope to do it next year.

Here are the tables before people started coming in:

- this is the table where I was sitting along with a doctor, a volunteer and two other members of the Foothills Writers Guild. We could snack on the M&Ms sitting on the table if we wanted to - lol




The winning table - as you can see, no one told them they could decorate their table. Maybe next year they will have something fun on their table. Of course, they have to defend their title.




This is the Anderson County Library table, which as you can see I moved when I snapped the picture so it is a little out of focus. I would have liked to see them have some bookmarks and some fake books on their table - make it worthy of a library table - lol.


This is the Cardiologist table and they had a player come in late (who apparently was their speller), but when you get level 2 words like "eulogy", who needs a good speller on your team?




This group came in decorating. Another bank sponsored table. But when a group of women call themselves "The Wild Bunch" you know you are in for some fun.




This is the Anderson University table. They were pretty good. They did try and I think may have been one of the teams that was tied with 18 points.





This is one of the other bank people present. Do you think they are trying to tell us something by putting all this pirate stuff on the table? The People's Bank are pirates? Only kidding. This made the table fun and they seemed to be having a good time. Very good spellers as well.


From the pictures, I'd say this was advertisement for an old movie. With a name like "Spellbound," they were headed in the right direction to a spelling bee. How appropriate.




Last year's winning team. Simple and no decorations. I believe they came in 8th or 9th this year (only 9 tables total). As they say, the luck of the draw?




I think everyone had a good time. I hope to participate next year. Judith and Hugh can be at the same table again with me. They were both pretty much on target. The biggest problem was that a lot of the level 3 words being thrown out there were like German or Italian or some other origin that with a slight mispronounciation can cause a decent speller to become a poor speller in a heartbeat.

This was a successful night for the Anderson County Library in conjunction with Anderson University raising money for the Storyteller's Festival which is held in October for rural students in our county. With all the sponsored tables and the guests and other donations, I heard that they raised $8750 (only about $7000 last year), so I would say it was a very successful event. Way to go all participants of the 9th Annual Starburst Spelling Bee. E :)

From NaNo to published at the age of 15!

Find out how one NaNoer (that's what participants in National Novel Writing Month are called) went from challenging herself to write a story in 30 days to publishing her novel. Visit Monday, March 8, and read Heather Paye's story on becoming a published author at a young age.

Genealogy - can you trace back?

If you click the title of this posting, you will see the Eldering webpage created by a relative of my husband's. My father-in-law has been doing a lot of research on the Eldering family tree. This relative, Hink, put a webpage together. He did get some information from my father-in-law. Funny thing is that since the Elderings are from Holland basically, the webpage is in Dutch - lol. Now if you can read the language, you might know how to navigate around the page. If you look at the genealogy page go down to the Boisvert (my maiden name) and find the Eldering name and then find William W., you will see my little family listed in there. According to the top of the page - something like 2397 names and 800 something family groups - astonishing numbers.

And the coolest part is that in Hink's research, he found a town in Germany called Eldering. Took some pictures of the town too. I think that's pretty cool. Thanks to Paul Eldering for all the hard work on finding his family tree. E :)

Anderson County Library Spelling Bee

The Foothills Writers Guild members were invited to participate in the Anderson County Library's 9th Annual Starbust Spelling Bee. A few of us responded and will be at the M&M's table (all things to do with the candies since the sponsor of the table loves M&Ms).

You are invited to come support the local library raise funds for the Starburst Storytellers festival, which over 2800 students in Anderson County benefitted from. This is sponsored by the Friends of the Library in cooperation with Anderson University.

WHAT: 9th Annual Starburst Spelling Bee
WHEN: Saturday, March 6, 2010
TIME: 6 p.m.
WHERE: Anderson County Library, main branch, 300 N. McDuffie Street, Anderson, SC
COST: $20 per person (gets you heavy hors d'oeuvres and desserts; helps support the Starburst Storytellers' Festival)

Come support your local authors and other friends of the library. See you there - E :)

Vote today

Just two more weeks left; voting ends February 28. Click on the title of the posting and you will be taken to the Books in Sync video trailer contest. Vote for the one you feel is the best. The JGDS book trailer that Mr. Hughes worked so diligently on is #11. Tell everyone you know to come over and vote - thanks E :)

What a wonderful picture

Every once in a while my aunt (love you Aunt Lu) comes along and sends me something truly wonderful and amazing. This is one of those times.












FACTS:
Base to Shoulder: 150 feet
Right Arm: 340 feet
Widest part of arm holding torch: 12 1/2 f eet
Right thumb: 35 feet
Thickest part of body: 29 feet
Left hand length: 30 feet
Face: 60 feet
Nose: 21 feet
Longest spike of head piece: 70 feet
Torch and flame combined: 980 feet
Number of men in flame of torch: 12,000
Number of men in torch: 2,800
Number of men in right arm: 1,200
Number of men in body, head and balance of figure only: 2,000

Total men: 18,000


If you look at the picture you can see some very detailed areas in the formation. I'm amazed that they even thought of this back in the time of preparing for war. It would be interesting to find out how long it took them to form this and who would took the picture. Enjoy - E :)

Breakthrough author Stephen Tremp

What is your writing niche?

As a fictional author, my niche is weaving together theoretical physics with greed, murder and mayhem. I focus on Proposed Theories such as Einstein-Rosen Bridges (wormholes as they are commonly known), String Theory, Parallel Dimensions, Dark Energy, and Dark Matter among others. These proposed theories are the results of scientists, philosophers, and theologians trying to elegantly explain the universe we live in and our place in it, but have yet to be verified.

What direction are scientists and physicists moving in?

The overlapping proposed theory I am most interested in is the Theory of Everything. Even though Einstein's Theory of General Relativity (science of the very big like galaxies) and quantum mechanics (science of the very small like sub-atomic particles) are supported by rigorous and repeated empirical evidence and do not theoretically contradict one other, they are not compatible when scientists try to incorporate them within one cohesive model.

Many scientists today are seeking to discover a unified theory that would elegantly combine these two schools into one Theory of Everything. Easier said than done in a three-dimensional spatial universe (length, width, and height). However, what is amazing is when additional dimensions are added, like in String Theory, then many (not all) problems are elegantly reconciled.

I’m also following events at CERN and projects physicists are conducting using the Large Hadron Collider. Expectations are high, but we will have to wait and see what, if anything, they can measure when they smash sub-atomic particles traveling in opposite directions near the speed of light.

Why is this important? What’s wrong with living in a three dimension spatial universe?

The possibilities are seemingly endless. For example, would a unified theory need to take into account the spiritual realm. Throughout the history of mankind, most civilizations held the belief of a spiritual world that is more real than our own.

We do not really have any idea what else is out there, but there is no reason to believe that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe. That would be arrogant and asinine. There is no reason to believe that whatever else is out there will necessarily have to obey the same laws of physics that we do. Perhaps a unified theory of everything will need to take into consideration parallel dimensions beyond our currently accepted space-time continuum where angels and demons dwell and cross back and forth at will. This is entirely possible as we will see once we look at hyperspace in a future blog. This is indeed a very strange universe we live in.

Is there anything you stay away from?

What I avoid is writing stories set in the future, in outer space, or with people with pointy ears or green skin. BREAKTHROUGH is set right here on planet earth in Orange County, California and in metropolitan Boston. Although one could realistically place my genre as science fiction, I prefer to think of them as action thrillers since mankind could very well be on the cusp of making breakthrough discoveries in these areas in our lifetime.

I also have three taboos: I never use God’s name in vain, there are no F-bombs in my stories, and I will not exploit children to further the plot or make the villain more evil.

What kind of balance do you seek in your novels?

Lots of action balanced out with terrific character development. There is a lot of action in BREAKTHROUGH, including eleven murders, several action-packed fight scenes, and numerous other tense events. Character development provides an opportunity to take a break from the action. Also, I want the reader to form an affinity with the protagonist as well as his supporting cast.

Much of my time is spent researching locations in the setting. I use actual restaurants, night clubs, and Starbucks locations and include meals, wine and drinks off their menus. I use Google Earth, images off the Internet, and customer reviews to zero in on a particular establishment to better describe its physical makeup and ambience. I even visit the establishments and order what the characters eat and drink in the story.

What is your background?

I have a B.A. in information systems and an MBA degree in global management. I am currently completing his doctorate program in business administration. I have spent over ten years in consumer finance for some of the largest companies in the industry, holding numerous management positions. After many years of writing short stories and poems, I have taken the last two years to fulfill my lifelong passion: write and publish fictional thrillers. I have four more suspense thrillers to follow. I receive inspiration from some of my favorite authors: the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child tandem, Dean Koontz, Dan Brown, and Stephen King, among others.

Book Description:

* Hardcover: 424 pages
* Publisher: iUniverse.com (December 31, 2008)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0595710700
* ISBN-13: 978-0595710706
* Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches

Readers can visit my blog site

Breakthrough can be purchased through traditional retailers. Currently, Barnes and Noble online has the lowest price and offers free shipping.

Barnes and Noble


P.S. Tour with VBT-Writers on the Move through February. New and famous authors, plus useful information.

Support your local library update #5

Finihsed Death at Devil's Bridge by Cynthia DeFelice, I think Sunday night. Returned those four libary books and checked out The Day the Music Died A Mystery by Ed Gorman. Started reading it last night but the writing seems very passive. (Yes my publisher will get me on that for my passive writing - lol). Of course the book was published in 1999 and a lot has changed in those 11 years. Maybe the further I read, the more I can connect with the characters and get into the mystery (we have a dead body, an apparent admission to killing her and a suicide so far - these incidents coincide to the timing of the news that Buddy Holly and Richie Valenz were killed in a plane crash but are totally unrelated incidents).

I hope the 6th graders are keeping up with their reading info and logging in books so they can get their prizes. More updates later - E :)

Book trailer up for Books in Sync contest

Voting starts today and will run through the month of February. I have posted my JGDS book trailer here. I'm #11. Click the title of this posting and you should be taken to the voting page. See you all in the postings. - E :)

Breakthrough author Stephen Tremp coming soon

My guest this month will be Stephen Tremp, author of the novel Breakthrough. Stop by on Monday, February 8th, and check out the interview with Stephen.

To tempt you:

Chase Manhattan, part of a new breed of modern-day discovery seekers, seeks to leave behind his life of danger and adventure and settle down as an associate professor of physics at University of California-Irvine and build a lasting relationship with a beautiful girl he has not seen since high school. Meanwhile, a group of graduate students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology have stolen a breakthrough in opening Einstein-Rosen Bridges, or wormholes, as they are commonly known, from renowned M.I.T. professor of physics Nicholas Fischer. Their goal is to assassinate any powerful politician and executive controlling the world’s banking system who would use this technology for their own greedy gain.

Within days, Chase uncovers the diabolical scheme and finds himself the one person who can prevent more murders and prove the innocence of Professor Fischer who is framed for the killings. As the death toll mounts, Chase and his friends must battle this group of ambitious graduate students on both coasts in a desperate race to control or destroy this breakthrough that threatens to drastically change life as we know it. However, once the M.I.T. group realizes Chase and his friends have the ability to thwart more killings, he soon finds himself in their crosshairs, the latest target on their list of assassinations.

For more information, visit Stephen's blog.

Support your local library update #4

First some sad news - J. D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye passed away today. Apparently his death has made all the headlines and there is speculation as to whether or not a vault with unpublished manuscripts will be found (he liked his privacy and felt that publishing was an invasion of his privacy per a quote by him (can find the full quote on Carol Baldwin's blog). Thanks for passing this on Carol.

Now for the library update. I finished Princess, for a Week Wednesday night and am still deciding if it is a recommended read. I think for the grade level it is targeted to it would be a recommended read; of course reading it as an adult, I felt that it was a bit unbelievable in parts. It's hard to read children's books with the same mindset that they would read because I've been through my childhood and the books I vaguely remember reading at this age group (the review says it is geared for 3rd through 5th grade, but I'd read it more like it was geared towards 1st and 2nd graders. The writing seemed simplistic and like an early reader, learning to read type book) were nothing like this (of course I was that young about 40 years ago).

The book was enjoyable but just a little basic for me. I guess it's time to start reading some more adult books to shake my mind up a bit - lol. Started Death at Devil's Bridge and apparently there is a book prior to this but I couldn't find it in the library system or didn't look to see that there was one before. I don't think I'll really have trouble catching up with the characters though (so far not). Will keep you all posted - E :)

Support your local library update #3

I forgot to post this here but did post in the wiki for the class to see my updates. I finished reading The Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia DeFelice Saturday. I read the second "ghost" story by the same author, The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs, and for some reason found the first one to be a bit better. They were both good but the first seemed fresh and good for the targeted age group but I felt almost like everything in the second book was expected to be there. Still some plots and twists.

Speaking of checking out books from the library, on my previous posting, I talked a little bit about Flygirl by Sheri L. Smith. Well, my friend Carol Baldwin is going to interview her for the newsletter she and Joyce Moyer Hostetter have, TalkingStory. To sign up for the newsletter, go here. It is a 3-step process to sign up for the newsletter but well worth it. If you need some inspiration or want to follow Carol's research, go to Carol's blog and check out the postings of all the information she is gathering for upcoming YA novel about a young mixed racial girl growing up in the mid 1900s. If you are a teacher or homeschooler who is into writing and teaching writing, check out Carol's book - Teaching the Story. It is full of activities and lesson plans to get the ball rolling so to speak.

Will report on my next book soon. I have two more to read from my check out a week ago and then it will be time to get some more books. I hope Mr. Hughes' class is reading like crazy too so they can get these cool prizes I have for them. Until next time, keep reading and see you all in the postings - E :)

Support your local library update #2

As in my previous post, I put four books on hold and picked them up this past Friday. I started Princess for a week while I was in the car Friday night but felt a little bored with it. I will finish it but I decided when I got home that night or maybe it was Saturday night when I started reading again, I picked up Flygirl and I just finished it last night. I stayed up until about 4:30 finishing what I had to finish (read about 2 -1/2 hours to finish it). I'm not the fastest reader but I hold my own.

I would recommend this book to all young people thinking about becoming a pilot or even joining the military, especially young minority women. With all the advances we have had over the last 50 or so years in the military equipment and even allowing women to participate as soldiers, pilots and other areas of interest, it is still rough for a woman, no matter where you come from. I remember when women were allowed at West Point (my father retired from the Army there) and the big deal then was how to cut their hair, what style would work best for keeping with the short, Army standards and still look good on women and be acceptable. I was in need of a haircut at the time (my hair was getting very scraggly), so went to the barbershop on base. At the time, Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hammill had been big on TV (not sure if it was about the time of the Olympics or not), so anyway, when I sat down in the chair, the barber asked me if I could be a guinea pig for a free haircut. I agreed and they did one style, felt it wasn't short enough and then decided that would go with something like how Dorothy Hammill wore her hair. I walked out of there a couple of hours later with a "Dorothy Hammill" bob, which was what used at first. Short and cute. Now, some 30 odd years later, the styles for women's hair seem to not be so short but still has to be neat and kept out of the way. Hair can be a killer, especially if you work on machinery or fly planes or just about anything that is done nowadays.

Flygirl is a must read for anyone who wants a glimpse in the life of a young light skinned, black woman trying to make it in a "whites only" organization. Thanks go to Carol Baldwin for using this as a research book for her upcoming novel and recommended it. Check out your copy from the library and read today. See you in the postings - Mrs. E :)

Support your local library update #1

I've checked out four books and have started reading the first one. Our library is now on a state-wide lending program where when we place a hold on a book it can come from one of ten library systems. Since I placed a hold on the four books over the weekend, I couldn't get them until yesterday.

I checked out the following four books with plans to read them probably by the end of the next week:

Princess For a Week by Betty Wright
Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith (thanks to Carol Baldwin for recommending this as a must read)
The Ghost at Fossil Glen by Cynthia DeFelice (just finished reading The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs by her and this is apparently the first in the series of "ghost" stories)
Death at Devil's Bridge by Cynthia DeFelice (figured I would throw in another by the same author just to see how the writing compares; don't think this is part of her series)

I'll do reviews of all the books I read for Novelspot.com so when I've finished reading and the reviews are posted, I'll let you know. Keep reading and see you all in the postings. Mrs. E :)

Support Your Local Library challenge

What a wonderful way to support your local library and accomplish that reading goal you have set for the new year. Follow the link of the title to sign up for the challenge. The challenge runs all year long. Here are the guidelines for the challenge:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click on the link on the original webpage (J. Kaye's Book Blog).

2. There are four levels:

--The Mini – Check out and read 25 library books.

--Just My Size – Check out and read 50 library books.

--Stepping It Up – Check out and read 75 library books.

--Super Size Me – Check out and read 100 library books.

(Aim high. As long as you read 25 by the end of 2010, you are a winner.)

3. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Young Reader – any book as long as it is checked out from the library count. Checked out like with a library card, not purchased at a library sale.

4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

5. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

6. Challenge begins January 1st and ends December 31, 2010.

Since Mr. Hughes' sixth grade class all signed up for and received a library card back during Library card month, I think I will challenge them to participate and post their readings on the group wiki we have for our writing challenges. A book a week would be great to see everyone reading. See you all in the postings - E ;)

Tragedy strikes

Our family (including the marching band family) has lost some friends to a tragedy. A house fire took their family between 11:30 and midnight on January 2, 2010. You will all be missed. Our prayers and thoughts for the family you left behind.