Monday's Music Moves Me ~ God Bless America

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Welcome to our 96th Monday's Music Moves Me!!! We want to make this one of the BEST meme's in all of Blogville, but we cannot do that without YOU.... so come share your music with us and bring your friends to share theirs with us, too!!


Running this little dance party of ours is the sweetest and most wonderful Marie of XmasDolly. The cohosts helping to keep the party rockin' and rollin' are ME, Callie of JamericanSpice, Stacy of Stacy Uncorked, and our newest, and of course just as fabulous, Cathy of Cathy Kennedy's Blog. Also, because life gets to be so hectic at times, we occasionally have one of our faithful followers/participants help us with our cohosting duties. This month, we have one of our original cohost's Larry of Cakeblast helping us out, so don't forget to go visit him and follow his blog also!

This week in honor of Independence Day, our theme is Patriotic Songs, which are some of my favorite songs. I cannot wait to hear what you have posted this week.  Here's what I've chose for this week.....

U.S. National Anthem ~ The Academy Choirs

You knew I would include a song by the king, of course.....


America the Beautiful ~ Elvis Presley



God Bless America ~ Celine Dion



Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly ~ Aaron Tippin




I hope you enjoyed my selections... I can't wait to hear what's moving you this week. Here's all you need to do to play along:


Step One: Head on over to You Tube, pick your videos and post them on your blog! Upcoming themes are to you LOWER RIGHT of XmasDolly'sblog.

Step Two: Grab the 4M Button and the Hosts' Buttons and place them on your site... we all have them clearly visable on our sidebars.

Step Three: Make sure you are following your hosts - either on GFC, Linky, via email, Twitter, etc. and we will follow you back. This one is really important if you want to participate in our Grand Gala Giveaway coming up in 2 weeks.

Final Step: Most important, SIGN the linky, visit the other participants AND LEAVE A COMMENT! You know you like comments, so do your fellow players.


Each week we've been having a random drawing of all our participants to be our 2 Spotlight Dancers; and they are in the lucky #1 and #2 spots in our linky.  Marie has been trying each week to reach the Spotlight Dancers via email, but many of you don't have your email address available on your blog. I have also tried to help her a couple of times and we have left messages on all forms of social media for our wonderful players.  Soooo, this week is the last week that we will have two Spotlight Dancers and featured in spots #1 and #2 are:

Steve of bethere2day ~~ and ~~ Amethyst Moon of TamingTampa

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Starting next week..... we have decided to SURPRISE YOU when you come by to sign the linky. Make sure you CHECK OUT spot #1 - the Spotlight Dancer could be YOU!  There will be only one chosen each week by random.org!

Don't forget, as a Spotlight Dancer, you can proudly display your badge telling everyone you were chosen as our winner. Go on over to XmasDolly's blog and grab the button to let everyone know just how special you are!

So let's go everyone... post your songs, link up, tell your friends, and don't forget to head on over to Dolly's blog, plus the rest of the ladies' blog to enter our Grand Gala Giveaway!!!  Good luck everyone!

ROCK ON EVERYONE!!!

*** Just one more thing...

PLEASE remember we are family friendly blogs

and while we do not wish to censor anyone,

we do ask that you keep your songs rated PG13 or less.

If you find that you need to post songs with explicit sexual content or language,

please find a different venue.

If your song does contain a small amount of questionable language,

please put a disclaimer BEFORE the video.

Thank you very much!***

Wishing you all a very happy and safe holiday with your friends and loved ones.

And as always... please say a prayer for our troops who are away from their families fighting for our freedoms so that we can celebrate.

Wishing that they will all be home safely soon.

God bless them all and God bless America!

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Happy Flag Day

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Image Credit

On June 14, 1777, The Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act stating, "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."  In 1949, President Harry S Truman officially named June 14th Flag Day in commemoration of this event.

So today... show your colors proud, either on our home or on yourself. OR, like we do - on both.

Also, please keep in mind the men and women who serve to keep our flag flying free!

God Bless America!!

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10th Anniversary of the Day our Lives Changed Forever 9/11/01

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Today we will all be thinking about where we were and what we were doing 10 years ago when our lives changed forever. From that point on, it would always be before 9/11 or the attack and after 9/11 or the attack. Things would never be the same: security, travel, life in general....


I had just started a new job the day before and didn't know anyone that I worked with, but instantly became bonded with these people in our grief and unity as Americans. I was worried about not being able to reach Bill who was working on the Connecticut shoreline just across from Long Island Sound. I couldn't get in touch with him by phone - either by cell or land line, and with each news report or rumor my stomach and heart ached more and more...


I was finally able to talk to him and to my children around 5pm that day and couldn't wait to leave work, just so I could hold them in my arms.  Then we all sat on the couch and watched TV in silence and shock with the rest of the country. We cried. We stared. We couldn't believe what was happening. We watched as America's Finest and Bravest risked and lost their lives to try and rescue their fellow Americans from burning and collapsing buildings in New York and Virginia... We heard how fearless Americans saved countless lives by stopping hijackers in Pennsylvania by taking down their plane and sacrificing their own lives.

We all came together as Americans... giving until it hurt: money, blood, food, water, anything and everything we had. Flags flew everywhere, my house included.....

Then we tried to get back to normal, as normal as we could. The late night comedians went back to work so that the terrorist wouldn't win!





Little by little we returned to our daily routine never to forget what happened and those we lost.





So as you go about your day today, please take a moment to fly your flag and to remember those that lost their lives 10 years ago today, the innocent civilians, the heroes "just doing what they do," and those amazing Americans in Pennsylvania. Also keep in mind those of our military who are fighting the terrorists who attacked us that day and who protect us every day so we can have the freedoms we have every day.

God bless you all and God bless America.





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365 Project - January 28th: Old Glory

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I love taking photos of the flag and this is one of my favorites. It is from Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont where we are trying to move to.

To join the 365 Project head on over to their Facebook page or to view other participants submissions head to the "Browse Latest" page.


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Happy Flag Day

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress proposed that the United States have a national flag instead of the British Union Jack. The 13 stars of the flag represented the 13 new states. There were few public ceremonies honoring the Stars and Stripes until 1877, when on, June 14, it was flown from every government building in honor of the centennial of the adoption of a national flag. Schools had unfurled American flags over their doors or outside the buildings long before this; but in 1890, North Dakota and New Jersey made a law that required their schools to fly the flag daily. The first official Flag Day was observed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1893. New York also proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day 1897. In August 1949, President Harry S. Truman proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day. Since then the President proclaims the commemoration yearly, and encourages all Americans in the country to display the Stars and Stripes outside their homes and businesses.


Please remember to fly your flag today..... Until next time..... Lorie

Information taken from About.com

Monochromatic Monday: Old Glory

Go over to Maria's Space to see her gorgeous photo this week and join Aileni on Monochrome Weekly and link your post here.

This is my contribution for the week:

Until next time..... Lorie

Blue Monday - Sept. 21, 2009

It's Blue Monday, and here is my contribution for the week... it is from my front porch:

To see another gorgeous picture, head on over to Maria's Space.

And don't forget to link your Blue Monday photo on Smiling Sally's blog.

Until next time..... Lorie