The Gratitude Project by Thankasoldier.net

We are so honored to share with you the information on The Gratitude Project brought to us by Thankasoldier.net.

As we all live our every day lives, our brave soldiers are far away from home and often feel forgotten by us. The Gratitude Project has been created as a effort to let our troops know how much we love them and how thankful we are for what they do and what they sacrifice for us.

Thankasoldier.net has come up with this great idea to make a YouTube video that will be send to soldiers serving in various locations around the world. The video will be a collection of photos with people from everywhere (not just their home town), who want to let our soldiers know that they are NOT forgotten. This is an opportunity to come together and express our gratitude. The video will be a filmstrip of photos that will warm their hearts and remind them that they are in our thoughts and prayers…and that we love them.

Here’s how you can be a part The Gratitude Project:
1. Snap a photo of yourself with the word “Thank You” in it somewhere. It can be on your hand, on a sign, spelled out with people it doesn’t matter. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR LOCATION in the photo somewhere e.g. “Thank You from Boston, MA”
2. Email it to ThankYou@thankasoldier.net
3. If you’d like, you can also include a suggestion for what song should be playing in the background of the YouTube video.
4. Share the YouTube Video with friends to get the word out.
**The deadline for the photo submission is February 28, 2010

Get Revitalized! We are so excited to join this awesome project and submit our photo!

Peace, Love and Light!
~Ami

The people of Haiti need our help!

We are all saddened by the devastating affects of the earthquake in Haiti this past week. We have also been amazed by how so many people have come together already to help in any way they can. There has been a huge outpour of love, support and donations to help provide food, shelter, medical care, water, and other necessities to the people of Haiti. Unfortunately, they still desperately need our help.

We’ve gathered information to share several ways that you can help with the Haiti relief:

Send a Text Message.
Texting seems to be the most immediate way to help. Send a quick text to the numbers below and a small donation will appear on your next phone bill (about $5-$6). This donation will go towards helping the earthquake victims in Haiti. It’s easy, fast and convenient!
• Red Cross – text ‘Haiti’ to #90999
• Yele Haiti – text ‘YELE’ to #501501
**T Mobile, AT&T and Verizon have all waived their text messaging fees for Haitian relief.
**Texted donations can usually take approximately 90 days to get to their destinations. But all parties involved in this effort are working extremely hard to get the money to the charities as quickly as possible.

Donate to a cause that is specifically fundraising for the Haiti relief.
• Doctors Without Borders
• Unicef.org
• Friends of the World Food Program
• International Rescue Committee
• Partners in Health
• Clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake
• OxFamAmerica
• United Nations World Food Program
• Yéle Haiti
**If you donate by credit card, Visa, Master Card and American Express have all agreed to waive donation percentage points they would normally get off of your charge. Good for them!

If you can contribute to help fund these emergency efforts, please do.

Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with everyone!
~Lovebug

Help stop the animal abuse at Ringling Bros. Circus

Animals at some circuses unfortunately live miserable lives of deprivation, confinement and abuse. Ringling’s animal-care history is riddled with USDA violations and penalties. (Click here to learn more) Twenty-six Ringling elephants, including four babies, have died since 1992!

After a change of heart, former Ringling trainer Sam Haddock provided never-before-seen heart-breaking photos of baby elephants bound by the legs, neck and body with ropes and chains while being shocked and hit with bull hooks in order to learn unnatural stunts.

Please join the ARFF at their demonstrations in Orlando thsi week:
When:
• Thursday, January 14 at 6:00pm (opening night candlelight vigil; please dress in black!)
• Friday, January 15 at 6:00pm
• Saturday, January 16 at 10:00am, 2:00pm and 6:00pm
• Sunday, January 17 at 11:30 noon and 3:30pm
Where: Amway Arena - 600 West Amelia St., Orlando (view map)
Everyone will meet on the Amelia Street side of the arena, facing West Colonial Drive

Post-Ringling brunch
When: Sunday, January 31 at 10:30am
Where: Ethos Vegan Kitchen, 1235 N Orange Avenue, downtown Orlando
Even if you can't make it out to the protests, ARFF invites you to join them for brunch and find out how you can help at upcoming events. There will be a special protest recap and speaker. Don't miss it! Please RSVP to: ArffCentralFl@arff.org.

Update on Nosey the elephant
Sadly, it appears that "Nosey," the circus' solitary elephant, remains in poor health. (USDA inspectors have repeatedly noted the elephant's "extremely poor skin.")
Please contact the President of the Osceola Flea & Farmers Market and urge him not to host circuses with animals in the future.
Frank Buonauro, Jr., President
Osceola Flea & Farmers Market
2801 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy.
Kissimmee, FL 34744
Fax: (407) 846-3392
E-mail: usaflea@aol.com
Online comment form

Thank you for anything you can do to be a part of helping our animals!

Peace, Love and Light!
~Ami

Pink Glove dance for Breast Cancer Awareness

Check out this video

A bunch of employees, doctors and patients participated in this video, wore Medline Pink Gloves to promote breast cancer awareness and they really enjoyed doing it. Medline will donate a portion of sales generated from their pink gloves to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Check out the video It's touching and fun! :)

The Shift - A movie being made by a movement

Check it out!

Revitalize Your Soul

Forgive quickly. Love without boundaries or fear. Laugh without control. Never stop smiling. Be thankful for all your blessings. Live with hope and positivity. Embrace every moment.

xoxo,
Lovebug

God and Dog

This is so beautiful! Made me appreciate and love my Hannah even more. Can't wait to take my morning walk ... and my walks are also my pray time. This video really touched my heart :)

Red Fridays - Support our troops

Wear your red on Fridays as a sign of support and love for our troops. Lets no longer be silent and voice our gratitude and warm wishes to all our brave soldiers away from home. They need to know that they are not forgotten …that we have them in our hearts and prayers.

By word of mouth, press, TV – we can all come together in making the United States a sea of red on Fridays …. much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves our troops will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know that we are all on their side more than ever.

So don’t forget to wear your reds this Friday to be a part of showing the solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect -- and continue each and every Friday until our troops all come home!

The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is. "We need your support and your prayers." Please help to spread the word….

Revitalize Your Soul!

Good morning! And what a beautiful morning it is! Remember to smile today and take time to be thankful for all your blessings. Stop and smell the flowers or (depending where you live) stop and breath in the crisp air and take in the beautiful colors of the falling leaves. Do something nice for a stranger. Tell someone special in your life that you love them or how beautiful/handsome they are. Brush off your challenges...they are probably smaller than you think and soon they will be in the past. For those of you going through any real tragedies, may you be surrounded by love and comfort that will heal your heart and bring you peace.

Sending my warmest wishes to you all!
~Lovebug

Earthlings - Intense!

The trailer to this documentary called Earthlings is why I am a vegetarian. Please prepare yourself before watching this trailer. It is intense - AND real! I've read a bunch of details about what we are doing to our animals and could barely get through each word, but actually seeing some of it goes way deeper. The cruelty and inhumane torture of animals is beyond my comprehension. Please take the time to watch this....it's hard to watch, but if we can eat it, we need to see it .... we need to know.... we need to be aware of what we are promoting by what we eat. So please have the courage and the heart to watch this and help spread awareness by sharing it with others.

Earthlings - watch the trailer here

Buy from Staples to help cancer research

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Staples is offering you the opportunity to help make a difference with your purchase. When you buy select Pink Ribbon products this month at Staples, a percentage will go to breast cancer research. So check out their selection and spread the word!

Person to person advocacy

Put that compassion into action for the animals! By spending just a few hours handing out literature and talking with people one-on-one, you can educate countless people about the exploitation of animals. The Animal Rights Foundation of FL (ARFF) needs your help to leaflet at the following events:

• Maitland Art Festival, October 2-3.
• Winter Park Autumn Art Festival, October 10-11.

If you can help please contact: ArffCentralFl@arff.org

Revitalize Your Soul - Change

There will always be something going on in our lives or around us that we wish were different or wish it would just go away. Although somethings are completed out of our control, we need to focus on the areas that we do have control over. Instead of complaining about it and dwelling on the negative, lets take the time to figure out what we can change - what we need to change, in order to improve the situation. Usually the change has to be within ourselves. We have full power over our actions, reactions, emotions and decisions, how we treat ourselves and how we treat others...even every word we speak has an outcome. So if something is picking at you and you want it to go away - sit back, take a deep breath and figure out what you can do to set that change in motion. Don't just think about it - BE the CHANGE!

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always gotten”.
-unknown

Peace & Blessings to all!
Lovebug

Feed Hope Now - Portraits of Hunger Showcase

Portraits of Hunger Showcase: Enzian's Eden Bar
Wednesday, September 30, 2009.

Join us in viewing photo submissions from this year's Portraits of Hunger Photography Contest. Winner will be announced at this event. Bring a food donation (non-perishable) and receive one ticket for a Free bottle of Peroni.

Photographs will be voted online by the public. Voting will start on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. Chosen photos will be displayed at the event and some will be picked to be made into larger than life size banners to be hung at the food bank’s warehouses. Winning photo will be put in our Gatherer Newsletter - 10,000 distributed.

If you would like to participate in the contest go to www.FeedHopeNow.org. Deadline to submit photos: Monday, August 24, 2009

Revitalize Your Soul!

Jessica sent this to me in an email today and I wanted to share it with all of you :)

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going

God does keep me going and as I read this today, I started to remember how He is everywhere and in everything. The beauty of nature, the blue endless sky, the things that make me smile and laugh and inside every person that I love...all my angels. It all equals God to me .... it's what keeps me going, living and loving.

xoxo
~Ami

Help to stop Puppy Mills!

Many of you are probably aware of the investigations linking Petland to Puppy Mills. Well, on January 10, 2009 a bunch of people came together for a demonstration and crowded the sidewalks in front of 22 different Petland store locations to tell the company to stop supporting puppy mills. What an amazing experience this must have been! Hopefully the word is getting out to more and more animal lovers and will encourage them join this effort to protect our animals from this cruel treatment.

Are you interested in attending or helping to organize future demonstrations at a Petland near you??? Please email the Humane Society at stop-puppy-mills@hsus.org with the following information:

1. Your name, email address, phone number and closest Petland: Go Here for a list of locations (just scroll down to the bottom of the page to do a simple search)
2. Whether you would like to be an attendee or organize and lead a demonstration.
3. Whether you would like to take photos at a demonstration.
4. Whether you would like to accept pet supplies (including towels and blankets) at a demonstration and take them to local shelters.

We can make a difference if we put our hearts out there....

Peace and God Bless!
~Lovebug

Revitalize Your Soul - Emotional Health

Recently, my mom shared this with me. She was studying about stress and emotional health, and there are some fundamental points that she broke down for me and my brother to read and remember. These resolutions helped her a lot and they are also a big part of how I want to live my life.

It’s about taking control of your emotions and how you react to everyday situations and experiences. It’s a reminder that we all have a choice. This year has been very challenging for me and almost everyone that I know. I have felt completely lost and trapped within my own emotions, creating claustrophobia in my own skin. I have also seen my own friends and family drowning and indulging in their own pain, losing complete control of the life around them and choosing to be a victim of them selves. It doesn’t have to be this way….we DO have control. It takes a lot of work and practice, but in the end it’s all worth the happiness and peace you can feel inside and out.

Please take the time to read this…I hope it somehow helps you with whatever you struggle with and that it lifts your spirit knowing there is hope and that you can make a change in your own life.

1. Never say bad things about yourself. Look for sources of your unhappiness in elements that can be modified by future actions. Give yourself constructive criticism - what can you do differently next time to get what you want?

2. Compare your reactions, thoughts and feelings with those of friends, family, co-workers and others so you can gauge the appropriateness and relevance of your responses against a suitable norm.

3. Have several close friends with whom you can share feelings, joys and worries. Work at developing, maintaining and expanding your social support networks.

4. Develop a sense of balanced time perspective - be future oriented when there is work to be done, present oriented when the goal is achieved and past oriented to keep in touch with your roots.

5. ALWAYS TAKE FULL CREDIT FOR YOUR SUCCESSES AND HAPPINESS and share positive feelings with other people. Keep an inventory of the qualities that make you feel special and unique - those qualities that you can offer others. Even a shy person can provide a talkative person with the gift of listening. Know your sources of personal strength and available coping resources.

6. When you feel you are losing control over your emotions (emotions can be controlled), DISTANCE yourself from the situation or conflict, projecting your image into the future to gain perspective on what seems to be overwhelming now. Allow yourself to feel and express your emotions, but remember that you are in control.

7. Remember that failure and disappointment are sometimes a blessing in disguise. They tell you that your goal was not right for you, and save you from bigger letdowns later on. LEARN FROM EVERY FAILURE. Acknowledge setbacks by saying "I MADE A MISTAKE" AND MOVE ON. Every accident, misfortune, or violation of your expectations is potentially an opportunity in disguise.

8. IF YOU FEEL YOU CANNOT HELP YOURSELF OR ANOTHER PERSON IN DISTRESS, SEEK THE COUNSEL OF A TRAINED SPECIALIST. In some cases, the problem that appears to be emotional can be physical and vice versa. Remember hwlp I always available.

9. Cultivate healthy pleasures. Take time out and relax, meditate, fly a kite, enjoy hobbies, listen to music that brings you to good places, and pleasurable activities you can do alone and by which you can get in touch with and better yourself.


Much Love and Peace!
~Lovebug

Revitalize Your Soul - Birthday Time!

Sooooooo, this past Friday, 8.1.08 was my birthday! Happy Birthday to me! This year I turned 29 and I feel DIVINE! As I quickly approach my fabulous thirties, I realize that my thought process and decision making continues to grow and change. This year I have felt maturity and adulthood more intensely than ever before. I have been on my own and supporting myself since I was 18 years old, I have been married AND divorced, I have had several surgeries and health issues in the past, I have traveled a decent amount and have seen, survived and enjoyed all levels of experiences (the good, the bad, the best and the rest). Yet, this is the year…..2008… that I feel the most mature.

This got me thinking…..why after all these years of living an adult life am I finally feeling the most “grown up”? I am really not sure what the answer is, but I will tell you this….It feels Incredible!!! I have gone through so many phases of self discovery in the past 29 years and I feel very accomplished and content with where my life currently stands. There are so many pressures out there as to where we should all be by a certain age. The fact is that no one has the right to tell us who we should be, where we should be and how we should live our lives (especially not according to our age). If I had followed the “guidelines” and “timelines” of this world, I probably would have never gotten a divorce and stayed in an unhappy marriage OR would already be married again, I definitely would already have children, own a house, have my degree and be set in my career. I can definitely admit that these all can be wonderful accomplishments. However, I do not have any of them right now, yet there are so many things I have done in my life that I am most proud of. Things that I chose over everything else and I still have so much to look forward to. I refuse to feel that time is running out. We have been gifted the blessing of life and our sole purpose is to cherish and enjoy all the beauty it has to offer….at free will and on our own terms. I am blessed to have an amazing bond with my mom and brother, I am surrounded by the comfort and support of true friendships, I have a magical connection with the love of my life, I am co-owner of a business that specializes in Wedding Design (the celebration of Love!), I run a charity organization with my best friend, I try to focus on living each day filled with gratefulness, peace, love, balance and bliss that extends itself to all those who are the closest to me and to anyone that comes in contact with me. I am content, proud and at peace with who I am, where I stand and how I live my life. The best part is that I still have the opportunity to live and accomplish so much more. I can marry the man of my dreams (after waiting very patiently for him), I can be a mom at a time that I feel I know myself the best and can give the most, I can see my business grow into a success that becomes my livelihood, I can see Revitalize grow into a huge community the glows with positivity, encouragement and the unending act of giving, sharing and coming together to extend our love to the world.….

….My life is in my hands and I choose to be guided by my faith, spirituality and heart.

Big warm hugs to all!
~Lovebug

Supporting our soldiers...

Revitalize has adopted three Platoons consisting of about 100 soldiers. They are currently stationed in Afghanistan and Revitalize will be shipping care packages to them as often as possible. We would love for you to be a part of this wonderful cause and community movement. Any contribution you can offer sends a message of love and hope to these brave men who will not be returning home for several months. These care packages mean more to them then we could ever imagine.

With thoughts of peace,
Jess and Ami
myspace.com/revitalizeorlando

Pictures and Donation details are below....



Drop off Locations for January 2008 TBA:
If you would like to give a donation, please feel free to contact us at revitalizeorlando@gmail.com or 407.399.7589

Donation Guide (a list of items recently requested):

Food and Beverage:

Lots of Snacks (crucial) – no chocolate (this will melt in the mail)

Instant Coffee (Automatic Drip)

Creamer

Sugar

Energy Bars (come in useful when walking all night)

Beef Jerky

Canned soups and stews (starting to get really cold)

Powered drink mix (Propel, Crystal light, Red Bull, etc.)

Clothing:

Socks (wool only in black or green) – Army Navy Store

Toiletries:

Soap

Liquid Soap

Baby Wipes (they use these a lot)

Hand sanitizer

Q Tips

Shampoo

Deodorant

Hygiene products (all kinds)

Misc. and More:

Chap Stick

Fly swatters

Pipe Cleaners (To clean equipment)

Batteries (AAA, AA, and D cell )

Silly String (use to detect trip wire and also for fun J )

Hand and Boot warmers (Winters in Afghanistan are very cold)

Back Scratches

Letters can be written for encouragement, to thank them, etc.

Cards can be sent from you and your family for the holidays, etc.

Pens (the locals feel that pens represent education and constantly ask the soldiers for them)

Entertainment

Magazines – all kinds

Movies – all kinds

Music – all kinds

Board games

DVDs of recorded TV shows (haven't seen a T.V show in 8 months) – any prime time sitcom, especially "Lost" and shows from the Discovery channel, History channel and the Military channel are also great.

Books - all kinds

Things can only get better

Do you have a dream? What is it?

For my whole life, I have been following other people’s dreams. I always did what I thought my parents wanted me to do. I have never been brave enough to admit what I really want to do in life. I have taken many paths only to discover they are not right for me down the road, and then I have to start over. And since I cannot change the past, I am going to change the future.

I have finally figured out what is right for me. I finally know where I want to go and what I want to do. I’m not sure how to get there but at least now I know where I am heading. Knowing is half the battle... I am ready to take on the other half.

Clarify your vision so you can grow into it. I finally have and now I will.

Do you feel scared - I do
But I won't stop and falter
And if we threw it all away
Things can only get better
--Howard Jones, Things Can Only Get Better

Wishing you the courage to follow your dreams,
Becky