Moving Day Chicago Meets W.Va. Team Co-Captain...ME!

Hello,

My name is Angie Hott.  My husband, Dan, has Parkinson's Disease.  We have four children and live in rural West Virginia.

I am tickled to be an honorary co-captain for Team Martini Shakers participating in the upcoming Moving Day, Chicago.

Like the picture I chose to tag?  I.LOVE.IT!


The reason I selected this picture is because I strongly feel that this represents how with God's love, a positive attitude, and some pretty awesome neurologists, we can kick this stinkin' thing called Parkinson's Disease!

You see, when Dan was diagnosed in 2008, one of the crazy things that scared me was how his symptoms would progress.  At the time, our boys were just 2 and 3 years old.  I worried if he would be able to dance at our two daughter's weddings.

Well, here he is at Caity's wedding on June 8, 2014...six years since his diagnosis.  He not only danced at the reception; but he walked Caity to a beautiful alter of sand and sea before our closest friends and family.

Although we will not be in Chicago in a few days to walk with you, we will be there in spirit!  For what we do today to help bring awareness to Parkinson's Disease will have Dan dancing at Violet's wedding next!

She's only 14 now...so let's get busy!!!!

And, so you know this is a nation wide event, check out the National Parkinson's Foundation spokesperson, Katie Couric, she is also involved because her father suffered from Parkinson's Disease.

To donate to Parkinson's research and learn more about Moving Day, see here:  Team Martini Shakers  Then click on "Angie Hott" (in blue) if you feel so moved to donate.  If not, that's fine too...thanks for spending a little time on this site and send it along by sharing!

Now,...here is the remainder of NPF's Moving Day info:

I am participating in the Moving Day Chicago walk, benefiting the National Parkinson Foundation on October 19, 2014.

The event will take place at the Grove 2 at Lincoln Park and will be a fun-filled, family-friendly event for all ages and abilities. We will be able to enjoy a variety of movement activities yoga, dance, Pilates, Tai Chi, stretching and much more and celebrate the importance of movement in our lives.

Please consider being a part of my team or sponsoring me, and I encourage you to get your friends, family and coworkers involved.

Why Get Involved

The National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) continues to bring help and hope to the estimated one million people in the United States, four to six million worldwide, who are living with Parkinson’s disease. NPF is the only organization with a singular focus on improving the quality of care in Parkinson’s disease. NPF programs reach more than one million people a year through its network of 39 chapters, 43 Centers of Excellence and 900 support groups. Since 1982, NPF has funded more than $180 million in care, research and support services.

Thank you for helping me reach my fundraising goal to support the vital work of the National Parkinson Foundation.

Dazzling Diamonds, Royal Rubies, and Boney Elbows? A Book Review of "Treasury of Bible Stories"

One can not open a "Treasury of Bible Stories" without expecting a few jewels, among them diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, right?  So just how, you may ask, did this 49-year-old-grey-haired-PD blogging-hott-mama-of-four manage to find within this treasure chest of Bible classics a load of boney elbows?  Hummm...just ask Levi, my 9 year old!

I was happy to read and review this darling collection of classic Bible stories to share with you.  When it arrived from David C. Cook, I immediately snuggled up with my 9 year old at bedtime and cracked open the cover of this colorful treasure of all our Bible favorites.  From "A Wall of Water," the towering tale of Moses crossing the sea to "Food for a Fish," a 'whopping' story of Jonah, Levi and I were mesmerized by this unique clever collection of Bible tales.

Author, Kelly Pulley, is an expert at "rhythmical rhymes of Biblical times".  He manages to take familiar stories of our favorite tales from Daniel in the Lion's Den to the beautiful Resurrection Story and convey them in clever lyrical rhyming verse.  I was impressed as I read with ease his combination of words and how they effortlessly read aloud with my son, almost as if by magic.

Assisting our ears was a colorful depiction of a Bible journey.  The illustrations in Pulley's "Magnificent Tales" series will entertain parents and young readers alike.  Perhaps it was just my 9 year old in all his boyhood that immediately recognized an unusual theme that carried across every character drawn:  boney elbows!

Do you want to know something strange?  I never noticed it!  However, Levi barely heard the first page when he said "Mom!  Check out those boney elbows!"  And he was right.  The characters do have some circular appendage on each and every elbow (and knee!) joint.

Asside from this unusual comment from my child, we thoroughly enjoyed the delightful collection of rhyming cover to cover!  So much that I plan to share my copy with my newest family member.  Meet my great-niece, adorable Adalaide!


Isn't she a gem!?  Which got me thinking.  A book like "Treasury of Bible Stories" is so much more than the retelling of a story we moms have heard a million times.  It takes these old stories and uniquely rhymes them for a moment we will share with what is our true treasure:  our children.  Kinda sorta makes me wish my Levi was three months old again.

So gather up your little diamonds in the rough and shower them with the magic of "Treasury of Bible Stories" by Kelly Pulley.  For the gift of God's book for us is meant to share!

And I am sending a copy to Adalaide today!  Her big brother Nathaniel, a first grader learning to read this year, will enjoy this series of Magnificant Tales too!  (I wonder if he will notice the bone structure like his cousin...)  For yours, just click here or register to win a free copy from David C. Cook by commenting on this page.