Captain Saved From Pirates

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!

My son Dan called me this morning to wish me a Happy Easter. He told me that he doesn't get the kids today. That's pretty sad. Liza seems to get the kids EVERY holiday. Then a few hours later my son Michael called me. Michael went to mass in a monastery that was built in 700 AD.

The big story today is that the Captain of the U.s flagged ship has been rescued from Somali Pirates. U.S. Navy snipers opened fire and killed three pirates holding an American captain at gunpoint, delivering the skipper unharmed and ending a five-day high-seas hostage drama on Easter Sunday.

The pirates were pointing AK-47s at Capt. Richard Phillips and he was in "imminent danger" of being killed when the commander of the nearby USS Bainbridge made the split-second decision to order his men to shoot, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.

As always it was a very busy day. We went grocery shopping and then walked around Walmart and Lowes pricing stuff. We also had lunch at CiCi's pizza which is basically an all you can eat pizza place.

I have been working on an essay for this contest for three days. I finally have it the way I want it but since I can enter more than once I'm working on another essay even as we speak.


Last year I was a finalist and they didn't give the finalists ANYTHING. I was pretty disappointed. The year before I was a finalist in this and won some airmiles but we didn't get to use them. Turned out that after one year the airline deleted them from your account so it was as though I didn't win anything. We were a finalist in yet another essay contest with them so who knows. Maybe I will be a finalist again.

If you've never entered an essay contest, I think you should try. I am obviously not the world's greatest writer yet I do pretty well on these. I wish I won as often as I entered. I don't. I do win enough to keep me trying though.

1-800-Flowers.com - Spotlight a Mom Contest

Nominee Grand Prize: 4-day/3-night trip for a family of four (2 adults/2 children) to winner's choice of any of the four Beaches All-Inclusive Resorts in Turks and Caicos or Jamaica from within the Continental U.S.; includes year of flowers from 1-800-Flowers.com and Cheryl & Co. Vera Bradley comestic bag and tote set (ARV $6,762.99).
Nominator Grand Prize Prize: One year of flowers from 1-800-Flowers.com and Cheryl & Co. Vera Bradley comestic bag and tote set (ARV $562.99).
Nominator Finalist Prizes (9): Three months of flowers from 1-800-Flowers.com (ARV $116.95).
Nominator Daily Prizes (25 - 1 per day): $100 1-800-Flowers.com gift card or Garden Whimsy Tin & Tower from The Popcorn Factory (ARV $100).

Here are the blog contests I entered:

Prize: Disneynature Earth-branded canvas tote, reusable grocery bag, biodegradable tumbler, tree seedling and more (ARV $60).

Prize: Gift basket with Betty Crocker mixing spoon, spatula, measuring spoons and cups, whisk, liquid measuring cup and Betty Crocker Magazine.

Prizes (2): $25 Kroger gift card.

Prize: Exergen TemporalScanner thermometer (ARV $49.99).

Prize: The Tale of Despereaux DVD.

Prize: Windex Outdoor All-In-One starter kit.

Prize: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Mystery of the Easter Chimpunk and My Little Pony: The World's Biggest Tea Party DVDs.

Prize: Exergen TemporalScanner Infrared Thermometer.

Prize: $30 Pizza Hut e-gift card to host a PANormous Pizza PJ Party and copy of I Got Two Dogs by John Lithgow.