Wow, has it been a week already?  The Autism Awareness Musical Benefit was great!  My family and I worked very hard to ensure that it was a success.  While we didn’t raise a substantial amount of money, we did raise something.  And we had a fun celebration in the process.  The opening portion of the event featured children and family games/activities.  We also held our 1st raffle of the evening and had some lovely gifts for the kids.  Many gifts were donated by the Inland Empire Autism Society, which was so very kind of them.

We then kicked off our evening with a dance demo featuring my sister Miranda and friends.  This was followed by an acoustic performance by my mother and her friend who lulled the crowd with their sweet covers and originals.

Next up was Hunter.  Hunter is the “family band” starring my mother, stepfather, aunt, uncle and family friend.  They had a fun set of songs we all know and love.  Next up was Miranda (my sis) who gave us a few beautiful covers and really showed off her talent.

We then welcomed Swamphouse to the stage.  They wowed the crowd with their unique sounds.  Our 2nd raffle of the evening soon followed.  We gave out some fantastic prizes!  After, Mirror Mirror, featuring my sister Lauren on lead vocals, performed.  They were awesome as usual!

Closing the evening festivities, was a performance by Night Train, starring my stepdad on drums.  We all had a great time and danced the night away.  Can’t wait to see what we can pull off next year!

Contact us at: autismmusicbenefit@gmail.com for more info.

This year’s Relay was awesome!  I only wish I had been able to commit more time to it.  Next year I plan to start early and really dive in.  Anyhow, this year was different yet fun.  My team set up camp, then began a morning warm-up.  And yes, my old self got up there and did it too.  Next, team captain Wendy and team member Amanda (my aunt & cousin) had their hair chopped off and donated to Locks of Love.  We then heard many touching stories from survivors, immediately followed by the survivor and caregiver laps.  After, we watched as people began walking their laps and greeting others.  It was a heartwarming sight.

Later, people gathered around for dances.  It was nice to see those of different age and race enjoying these activities together.  And in the evening, we watched as the Luminaria Ceremony took place.  It was truly breathtaking.  As I walked a few laps with my family, I realized how incredibly lucky I am.  So many people have suffered great losses to cancer, including my father.  I can’t even fathom the thought of losing my parents.  And seeing a luminaria dedicated to the memory of a child…left me speechless.

All in all it was a lovely event.  The RFL didn’t bring in quite as much money as they had hoped for, but we all did something and that is important in itself.

Photos:

This is yet another American Idol report.  This season has been very entertaining in my opinion, so I must weigh in.

I have been rooting for Adam and Allison from day 1.  I was so very sad to see Allison go.  She is so amazing in a less obvious way.  The girl sings a style we haven’t heard since the 70’s and 80’s.  Her style reminds me of the rock Queens of our past.  Lita Ford, Janis Joplin, Joan Jett…so many great women in rock.  I believe we will definitely hear from Allison soon!

On to Adam.  This guy amazes me every week.  He is the total package.  Flawless vocals with incredible range and control, he really is deserving of all the praise he receives.  He has a great stage presence as well.  I have loved so many of his performances, but “Whole Lotta Love” (by Led Zepplin) topped them all!  And although many people are voting based on personal likes and dislikes, I strongly think Adam will become our next American Idol.

As for the other 2, Danny and Kris, they each have their own great talents to fall back on.  As we’ve seen in seasons past, it’s never really over for some of these cast-offs.  I personally think Kris will have a better shot at a hit based on his modern style and popularity.  But all in all, what an awesome group this season!

Just a few short days left!  I couldn’t be more excited for Saturday.  I have listed the event schedule below for anyone interested:

• Saturday - 7:30 am  -Morning warm-ups led by team Tumble City
• 9 am -  Opening ceremony
• 10 am - Survivor ceremony & lap
• 11 am - Hula lap
• 12 pm - Belly dancing demo
• 1 pm - Fight Back ceremony
• 2 pm - 80’s music / disco theme lap
• 3 pm - stuffed animal lap (for the kids) & Teen Pulse entertainment
• 4 pm - Sports uniform lap & Survivor Team vs. Challenger Team softball
• 5 pm - Crazy Hat lap
• 6 pm - Elvis Presley lap
• 7 pm - Country / Western lap & line dancing
• 9 pm -Luminaria ceremony
• 10 pm - Latin lap & salsa dancing
• 11 pm - Favorite movie character lap
• Sunday - 12 am - pajama lap & kids movies
• 1 am - Pillow / blanket lap
• 2 am - Slipper walk
• 3 am - Pirate / ninja lap
• 4 am - Caffeine lap
• 5 am - Farm lap
• 6 am - Singing lap
• 7 am - Morning warm up led by team Tumble City
• 8 am - Closing ceremony

*All of the pink times are the ones I plan on attending…hope to see some familiar faces there!

Here are some new details on this years event:

• The Relay will be held on May 9 and 10 at the Yucaipa Community Park at 34900 Oak Glen Road on the adult baseball field at the upper level of the park.
• The teams are planning to show movies starting at midnight so bring your PJ’s and favorite blanket.
• Survivors are asked to make sure that they are registered so they will be eligible for the event T-shirt and gift bag.  Bring last year’s medal so that you can get pinned with the 2009 Survivor pin.  For new survivors 2009 medals call Traci McAughty 446-2856 or Debby Lowe 534-2571.
• The Relay will have Steve and Friends out for Locks of Love.  People wishing to donate hair that will be used to make wigs for cancer patients should have at least six inches of hair to donate.  The donor is then treated to a free styling.  Steve and Friends will also be doing regular hair cuts for all, crazy up-dos, purple or pink hair extensions, crazy nails, and face painting.
• There will be areas on the event track where you can get a massage, play with water, listen to jazz music, check out Cookie Lee and the Discovery Shop.
• The entertainment on the lower field area will include Teen Pulse. On center stage there will be belly dancing, salsa and line dancing demonstrations and lots of great music.  Along with all the fun there will be lots of valuable information about most cancers and the services of the local American Cancer Society.
• The Relay will also have a food court area  including tables, chairs and plenty of shade. This year there will be a large variety of food such as hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwursts, potato salad, pretzels, funnel cakes, fresh squeezed lemonade and sodas from Carl’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice, Maui Wowi, Pop and Mama’s Organic Kettle Corn.

Hope to see you all there for this fun & amazing event!

Well, for anyone following, here are the upcoming projects I’m working on:

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in Yucaipa - The event takes place Saturday, May 9th and I am looking for walkers as well as donations for this wonderful cause.  Please contact me ASAP if you would like to join in.   The registration fee for walkers is $10 per person.  Please read my previous blog entry or view my RFL page for more Relay info.

The Music Festival for the Inland Empire Autism Society - This festival is a fundraiser for the Inland Empire Autism Society. It will be held Saturday, June 13th at the Mill Creek Cattle Co. in Mentone.  The highlight of this event will be the musical performances by Mirror Mirror, Swamphouse and Festivus.  There will also be raffles, food, speakers and more. More info to be announced soon.

I will try to keep updating as I go and really hope to get some feedback from you guys.

Okay, this is kind of a quickie.  I just finished watching tonight’s episode of American Idol, and I wanted to share my take on it.

If you’ve been watching, you are familiar with the top 8 contestants.  I’m not going to list their bios here…check out the AI website for all of that.  Now, I do not claim to be an expert when it comes to discovering new talent.  That being said, the top 8 this season are all quite good with the exception of a few.  Tonight’s results show sent Scott packing, which was necessary, yet heartbreaking for the obvious reason.  Most who have watched know that Scott is sight challenged (not sure what the politically correct terminology is).  He has been courageous and inspirational throughout the AI process.  I was a fan at the beginning.  Then, when they began to narrow down the top 24 to the top 12, I wasn’t so sure he was good enough vocally.  Weeks want by and I saw a few great performances by Scott.  Sure, his song choices were a bit dull and corny, but he was able to pull them off.  This week…I was over him.  He is a beautiful person with a charming personality, but his vocals just didn’t cut it.  So when he was cut this evening, I felt it was the right call by America as well as the judges.  Don’t get me wrong, I welled up as they made the announcement, but I felt it was only fair to everyone, Scott included.  Letting him continue in the contest at this point would be patronizing to him and definitely unfair to the other competitors who are much stronger singers.  So that’s it.  I just wanted to state my thoughts before I hear or read about how “wrong it was to cut of the blind guy on Idol”.

Sure, we have grown to expect crappy customer service from fast food chains, billing departments or even tech support help lines…but the California EDD?  Without going into too much detail, my husband has been receiving unemployment benefits ever since his layoff last year.  He was recently employed and therefor ended his claim.  However, upon reading the closing details, he noticed a few discrepancies in the claim.  These were major problems that could quite possibly put us in some hot water if not corrected immediately.  So, when I called to get some help and information, I was given a total runaround.  Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that the EDD is flooded with calls due to the state of our economy.  And if I were looking just to get some basic information, then the automated setup would have been very useful.  This situation however is more complicated.  Well, I finally dialed the right combination of numbers and got through to a live person.  She was so incredibly rude!  Every question I attempted to ask was interrupted mid way.  When I began to explain the situation, she said nothing and abruptly transferred me back to the main automated menu.  Unbelievable!

So, okay, I see this stuff more and more each day.  You’d think that people would be grateful to even have a job during the recession and not be so moody.  Oh well, it just allows me to pat myself on the back for the great customer service I feel I provide at my company.  Perhaps you deserve a pat on the back as well ;).

 Cancer is one of the scariest words these days.  We are all somehow affected by a form of cancer.  Many of you already know that I participate each year in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.  This year’s event in Yucaipa, takes place Saturday, May 9th & Sunday, May 10th.  I am super excited to participate and raise money, support and awareness for all forms of cancer.  I am urging and encouraging everyone to support the cause.  I will be participating with team Tumble City and we will have a fun crew.  We tend to be the group each year that draws a good crowd and  will tumble for relay donations. I would be honored to have more walkers join the team this year and experience the amazing event with us.

Wondering what the event has in store?  Well, every year has a different feel to it.  With campsites and teams lined all around the walking track, it feels more like one big party.  The days events include themed laps around the track, karaoke, live music, games, sports, and other surprises.  Some of my favorite moments take place in the evening.  There is nothing quite like the luminaria ceremony.  All of the glowing, lovingly adorned paper bags on the pathway are bittersweet.  The pure symbolism that represents the reality of cancer is my favorite part of the whole event.  There are other wonderful moments that we all take to heart.  For some it may be the breathtaking survivor walk.  To see people of all age, sex and race walk laps for themselves shows such strength, courage and hope.  I advise all of you to attend this year’s relay, and find your favorite moment.

For more information on the ACS Relay for Life or to join the team or make a donation, please visit my donation page: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/KristinHarrisSpeak

Okay, so I have been very behind with the blogging.  My plan is to play catch up slowly, but surely.  So here we go.  My first order of business: Mirror Mirror.

For those who don’t know, my sister Lauren is the singer for an amazing up & coming band called Mirror Mirror.  The music is somewhat rock/alternative I guess.  It has been compared to No Doubt, however they definitely have a very unique sound.  The Mirror Mirror Site has songs to preview as well as shows scheduled. Take a moment to check them out and you’ll be glad you did.

Photo courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/mirrormirrorspace