A Summer Driving Adventure

The summer days are upon us and the Memorial Day Weekend is what kicks it off.  There are more fatalities between Memorial Day and Labor Day than any other time of the year.  So read this cautionary tale and learn from my “adventure”. 

Funny, before it happened, I was feeling rather sorry for myself thinking that I never have any fun adventures.   I feel like that cartoon in Calvin & Hobbs, where they are talking about adventures.  Calvin is basically saying he’s never had any adventures!

But Hobbs, being the ever-faithful and encouraging companion that he is, attempts to jog Calvin’s memory—

Very recently I put that “never had an adventure” feeling to rest.  And of course it was while driving, something I devote a good deal of time to, with my 60 mile daily commute and everything else I do that involves me getting somewhere.  This is how it went down:

   I was almost home from a busy day doing some volunteering at Comic Con, my favorite nerd festival, when one of those huge, obnoxious, Chevy 4x4’s pulled out into the road in front of me, you know, the ones that belch black smoke in your face for no other offense than that of being behind it.  It also had a long, open trailer in the back.  I was mildly annoyed.  Really?  Did the guy have to cut it so close?  I mean, he certainly had the height with those lifts to see that there were no cars in back of me.  Couldn’t he even wait a hot second to pull his monstrosity…er, truck out and avoid cutting a car off?  I let it slide.  

   He then did the same thing to a car in the left lane.  Wow...We kept going and the natural flow of traffic put me in front of him.  And I needed to change lanes because I was going to make a left turn.  So I changed lanes.  I don’t remember if I put on my blinker or how close I was in front of him when I changed.  But he seemed annoyed because he sped up and started tailgating me, his headlight on my bumper.  If automobiles and trucks can grind, this would have been it.    

   We were coming close to the light and I needed to slow down.  Soooooo….I tapped the brake.  Heck, if he wanted to follow me that close and he happened to plow into me, well, not my fault.  But now the dude was enraged.  He certainly didn’t let up and when I decided to take a left into a parking lot to get him off my tail, he suddenly did a U-turn.  I didn’t think much about it until I got out onto the road I needed to take and there he was behind me again.  I was driving at around 35 – 40 mph and he came barreling up behind me, got into the next lane, came up beside me and swung into my lane, ahead of me, except for that trailer he was pulling?  Yeah, it slammed into the side of my car.  Hard.  And then he took off.  After a split second of collecting myself, I realized I had just been hit, that damage had most definitely been done to my car, and that he wasn’t stopping.  He was now down the road and ready to turn at the stoplight.  In other words, this was a hit and run!  I quickly decided that he wasn’t going to get away without a chase.  So I took off in “hot pursuit”.  My adventure was starting. 

   I chased this truck with the trailer about 10 miles---through 2 red lights, a couple of stop signs and definitely cut through some traffic.  Luck was on my side.  He was trying every way he knew to get away from me.  He may well have succeeded if he hadn’t had that trailer on the back of his truck.  I was prepared to go until I ran out of gas if need be.  I was also on the phone with emergency dispatch, trying to relate what had just happened to the dispatcher.   She wanted me to get the license plate number and that was difficult because it was partially obscured by the trailer.  Just talking to her while driving was really hard and I’m sure I didn’t make sense a lot of the time because my top priority was to keep that truck in my sights.  I felt like Miami Vice, ready to get the bad guys. 

   Apparently I did a good job of showing my determination and driving skills because all of a sudden he pulled off to the side of the road and I did the same.  He got out of the truck and I was very interested in seeing what kind of guy was capable of something like that.  Well, very small guy.  He wasn’t much taller than me and I might have out-weighed him by 10 lbs.  Wow.  It all made sense now. Classic Small Man Syndrome.

   He attempted to engage me in a conversation but I’d have none of it.  I didn’t crack the window, and I pointed to my phone to let him know that the cops were on their way.  He went back to his truck and we waited like that until they came. 

   He ended up telling the officer that he didn’t realize he had hit me until he “noticed” that I was following him.  And since there were no witnesses, it was my word against his.  He ended up getting an improper lane change ticket and his insurance is paying for my damaged door and front bumper.  

 

   I’m glad that things went  down like they did.  I think things could have turned out much worse, which is what I want to let you know. 

   Road rage is a real thing.  You never know what state of mind a driver is in.  I learned that just because you, a safe driver, may be in the right, don’t antagonize someone after they have made a stupid move.  I tapped my brake and that was just enough to send this guy off the edge.  I think that luckily, while we were in that chase, he was somehow able to come to grips with the situation.  His reason overcame his sense of revenge and he decided to make a good decision by pulling over. 

My need for an adventure has definitely been satisfied for awhile and I’ve learned something as well.  I hope everyone has a safe and fun summer and drive safely!!

Memorial Weekend Flash Giveaway!

 Welcome to our Memorial Weekend Flash Giveaway!  If you are close to your computer for the weekend you should definitely enter this one!  20 amazing bloggers have gotten together to give someone a great cash gift!    

For FOUR Days ONLY we are offering this Flash Giveaway!  
One lucky reader will receive $50 USD Paypal Cash or Amazon Gift Card!! This giveaway is for Four Days Only! Enter Now! We are making it easy peasy to enter! Just use the form below.

Remember, this giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on May 26, 2014! 

Tell your friends so they can enter, too! Good Luck! 

Entry-Form

Her IdealShape For The Summer Months Ahead

The products I received to review

 I have wondered how in the world I am going to get my swimsuit, short-sleeved, sans sweater summer look this year.  But I think I've got the kick start that I've been looking for.  It's called IdealShape and it's a program that lets you stop dieting by simply replacing one meal and replacing it with a milkshake that has some powerful natural hunger-blocking ingredients that will not only help you lose weight, but will enable you keep it off as well!   
   Have you ever had that unsatisfied feeling when you are trying to be good, but no matter what you're doing, the only thing that matters is that you get something to eat NOW.  I know I have and when that happens, I'm looking to feel satisfied.  That's when the overeating comes in. I know, there are so many diet programs out there, but I was really impressed with this one because it has a proprietary appetite control formulation called Slendesta which has been shown to be the most powerful natural appetite-curbing substance out there.  Slendesta is derived from.....wait for it...... potatoes.  Using a water-based, patented process, it is completely stimulant free.  It's NOT one of the many "fat-burners" on the market and does not artificially stimulate the metabolism.  
  Not only does Idealshape provide you with incredible nutritional tools, like the shake, to succeed at your weight loss, it also has a complete support system as well. I'm talking about mind-altering techniques that will help you actually see yourself as that beautiful and healthy person you secretly know you are.  They are brain training CD's and they have helped IdealShape men and women achieve and maintain weight goals they never thought possible! I haven't read it yet but I'd love to get ahold of the book or CD called 'Think' by David Meine.  It's offered by Ideal Shape for $5.00 off the regular price and it helps you unchain the mental power you have within you to succeed with your weight goals.
The Shake:  I absolutely love this shake.  I tried the chocolate and it is fabulous.  The taste is wonderful.  And it's the easiest shake I've ever blended.  It mixes up so well with just the shaker bottle.  I'm extremely picky about using a shaker.  Normally I don't like using the shakers because I don't think most drinks or shakes mix up well enough, ending up gritty or clumpy, which is definitely not a picnic in my mouth.  But this shake mixes well and easily so.  And it really does make me feel full for about 3 hours.  Of course, I cheat.  I use 2% milk rather than the skim or non-fat milk they recommend.  But wow, it's really good.  I think it would also be tasty with almond milk. The shaker bottle that comes with the Ideal Shape program is the perfect size.  You really do feel full for about 3 hours.  These shakes will give you that satisfied feeling.  For at least 3 hours!  Amaazing!  Click to enlarge the two pictures below to see some great comparisons and specific benefits you get from the Ideal Shake. 

    The Bars: I also tried the Ideal Bar in Cinnamon Caramel Crunch Flavor (1 of 3 flavors).  It was delicious and has Slendesta, the same hunger blocking technology as the shake.  I found it was also good when I had a food craving going on and needed to get it under control. 

 The Supplement:  Another great tool is the NaturalShape Hunger Blocker.  If taken approximately 30 minutes before a meal it will give you the ability to control your portions and keep yourself in control.  It has a full serving of Slendesta plus Resveratrol, Green Tea Extract and Kelp. 

Something that is stressed very strongly with this program is to drink plenty of water.  Because of the nature of the potato protein that swells in your stomach, you need to get fluids in with it for proper absorption and digestion. 

I am very impressed with IdealShape and I'm so glad I got the chance to review it.  Like so many of the great products I review, I will definitely be a repeat customer on this one. 

Mom's Helping Other Moms

   I enjoyed Mother's Day weekend more than ever!  And probably more because I have been so interested in the stories of other moms who have made extraordinary contributions to their children's well-being.  If you pay attention to some of the amazing stories, you realize that the power of a mother for good in their children's lives is remarkable and nothing can quite compare to it.  
   On T.V. this week, the movies that I've seen have been about moms.  I saw Forrest Gump again, with Sally Fields playing his mom and having such an influence in his life.  I saw BlindSide, based on a true story, with Sandra Bullock playing a mom, not only to her own children but to a boy who didn't have a chance, were it not for her,  She took him in and it is extraordinary what happened to him. 
   Even on NatGeo Wild, it's Big Cat Week don'tcha know, it's all about mothers.  I saw 'Killer Queen', the story of a lioness who risked her own life to save the lives of her 3 cubs, plus 5 of her sister's cubs.  The pride was invaded by a pair of marauding male lions, who ousted the reigning male.  All of the cubs in the pride were therefore threats to their continued dominance.  So in lion society, they have to be exterminated.  Before this could happen, Manyari leads the 8 cubs away from the pride and they roam until they are able to fend for themselves.  It was an incredible feat in so many ways.  She became the sole provider for these hungry adolescent cubs, a task normally shared by at least 2 or 3 lionesses.  She really went above and beyond, to the point of serious injury and I thought it was so similar to what Mom's will do willingly for their young...

Like this extremely moving example, unfolded by 2 girls on scrapes of paper, telling of the sacrifice their mom made to save their lives:

 And even in my own blogging world - I ended a Mrs. Fields Giveaway on Friday and as I was perusing through some of the comments about what folks had done for their moms, I was truly touched at how so many of us do make the connection about how special our moms' sacrifices are.  After all, like one commercial states, our mom is our very first friend.   You can read some of my favorite comments on my Facebook Page, A Gal Needs. 
   Alas, an incident happened in my own family today which isn't the most sterling of examples on how people look at moms and kids and even Mother's Day.  Apparently, my sister, who has 3 energetic, to say the least, boys of 8, 5 and 3 celebrated Mother's Day at a nice restaraunt for a Mother's Day Brunch buffet.  While there, the boys were behaving boisterously as usual, with my sister trying to settle them down as best as she could. An elderly man told her that her boys were "social disgraces" and "savages" among other things.  It went on from there involving 2 other tables, bringing my sister and 3 other women to tears, and having another man almost get in a physical fight with the elderly man.  He told him he was out of line and should remember that today is not about him but the women that made it possible for us to be here at all.  There ended up being a lot of supporters for her and the boys, but she was shaken up considerably. I told her that she will be laughing about it years from now, when her boys are making great contributions to society.  She really is a good mom!  And I love my nephews!
There are those in our society who weren't so blessed.  I watched 48 hours last night and the story was about Jason Bohn, who killed his girlfriend.  It was a really interesting case because many believe he shouldn't be charged with murder because of what he went through in his childhood.  His mother absolved herself of all responsibility to him when she divorced his father when he was 9.  He lived with his father, who was an alcoholic and into drugs.  He abused Jason terribly.  When Jason would ask to live with her, she wouldn't respond.  Finally when Child Services removed him from the home, she still wouldn't take him and had him put into a group home.  She never went to any of the meetings held on his behalf and generally put him out of her life, all while climbing the social ladder and living in a multi-million dollar home.  He was alone and unsupported for most of his life.  His mother didn't even attend his trial, although she paid for the attorney.  No one did.  

I wonder how different Jason's life would have been had his mom taken some time to just care for him?  I'm not saying that Jason isn't responsible for his own actions.  I think he needs to take responsibility.  But I'm sure some of his actions were done from a place of deep hurt turned into rage at how his mom abandoned him.  

When I look at Mother's Day, I now will also take into account all the Moms who have done incredible things for not only their own offspring, but for their "sisters'" kids when they need a helping hand.
 But most of all, I will always thank my own sweet mom, who gave up so much for me,  my 2 sisters and 1 brother.  And because my understanding has grown since she passed away, I fully believe that I will have the chance to thank her again someday.  
  

Mrs. Fields Mother's Day #GiftCode and #Giveaway

 "We are born of love, love is our mother...."   That sums up in a nutshell why Mother's Day is such a special day.  I know that as every year passes, I am more grateful for my mother.  And unfortunately she isn't around these days for me to let her know.  I'm glad that while she was alive, I did some pretty great things for her on Mother's Day.  I feel like she knew how much I loved and appreciated her. 
  This year A GAL NEEDS...is excited to partner up with Mrs. Fields Cookies, along with Vanessa from 2 Dorks In Love  and offer up the wonderful possibility of giving your mother a gift package full of those wonderful cookies, whose delightful aromas have been wafting through kitchens for over 35 years!
We are reviewing and also giving away The Mother's Day Delights Sampler, a delectable and veritable smorgasbord of the most delicious cookies you could ever imagine all in one place!    The package arrives with 36 assorted Nibblers® bite-sized cookies, 18 brownie bites, 4 hand-frosted cookies, 2.5 oz. vanilla taffy and 2.5 oz strawberry taffy and a "Happy Mother's Day" gift tag.
 
The cookies come individually wrapped so they maintain maximum freshness. Hint: Put them in the microwave for a few seconds and they taste like fresh home-baked cookies!

   "I received this box and within 1 day everything was gone. I ate quite a few of the cookies so definitely had my share, but I had family over so everyone got to try the cookies and treats. It was definitely a hit! We loved all of them, although the brownies would have been better if they were heated, but they went too quickly even for that! The favorites were the hand-frosted sugar cookies! They were delicious! Thanks so much for the wonderful Mother's Day gift! It made my day!"  Helena, A GAL NEEDS... 
Here is a quick video of my reaction to Mrs. Fields Cookies!

There are so many other options for special gifts for your mom at Mrs. Fields.  Whether you want to go low-key or take out all the stops!  You can call for personalized assistance at 1-800-cookies.  Also, some great news!  Mrs. Fields Nibblers will be available in Grocery Stores this spring!  You can read all about it on Mrs. Fields Secrets, their great blog full of recipes, giveaways, crafts and more! --And right now you can get 20% off any Mrs. Fields purchase by using the following code through May 15th, 2014. Use this code at check-out: 14EBB 
  Now lets get to our giveaway!  1 winner will receive the Mother's Day Delights Sampler, ARV $49.99 + shipping.  Thank you to the participating blogs and to Mrs. Fields for making this giveaway possible!  A GAL NEEDS... is not responsible for prize fulfillment! 

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To Be A Better Writer - The Writers' Panels At FanX SLC 2014

I am not really a comic book or super hero nerd!  But when I heard that ComicCon FanX was coming this month to SLC, I jumped at the chance to volunteer.  Why?  Because I love getting a flavor of the mood and atmosphere of fun events that are going on in the community!  I think actually being a part of the event is more fun than going to the event.  And while I didn't get to really explore even a quarter of what was going on because it was so huge, I was really happy with what I did in my own little space, in Panel Rooms 150-A, B, C, and D. 
  These were rooms where panels of experts, writers, directors, artists and stars got together to give advice on topics.  I went to a screenwriting panel and an author/artist panel.  They were informative while managing to be entertaining and funny. I love those kinds of lectures!  So after seating everyone and everything had settled, I listened into some.
  Unfortunately, I wasn't familiar with any of the writers that spoke, but one of them was a really successful young adult author, who raises 7 children as a single mom off of the royalties she gets from her books.  She writes Jane Austen style books?  Anyone familiar with her?  I didn't catch her name. I heard some things I know could be put to good use by anyone wanting to become a better blogger and even writer.  It's all about writing daily, gathering ideas, and turning ideas into chapters and chapters into a book!  Here are a couple of things I learned:
Ask The Questions - If you want to be a writer and have material, always be observant and ask "what if"  questions.  If you see someone walking down the road in a trench coat, in the middle of the night, ask yourself questions about why that would be and turn it into an idea, then write it down.  That is looking at something with different eyes, but that different way of looking at something is what sets a successful author apart from the rest of the population!  
  Have Someone To Bounce Off - Do you have someone who you can throw ideas back and forth with?  Maybe it's your husband, sister, mom or friend.  These sources are great for tossing around potential material!  Take their ideas as well and expand upon them.  It is an invaluable resource to have someone you trust to be a sounding board.  When you do have an idea you'd like to expand on, write it down in a notebook so you won't forget it and can work on it in detail later on!  Never throw anything away because you never know when that idea will come in handy down the road!
 Do It Every Day! -  If you want to be a writer, treat it like a job.  Do something with it every single day!  Exercise your writing skills, your imagination and your content skills daily.  The more you treat it like a job, the more those ideas will flow.  Most of the writers at the panel say that writers block is nothing more than being lazy and blaming it on the lack of ideas.  Just do something every single day!  It's just like exercising.  If you only exercise once per month, it will probably always be difficult and distasteful every time.  But as you develop the habit, it becomes easier and more enjoyable!  There are so many ideas waiting to be written and even if they have already been written, you can write it with your own pair of colored glasses and it will speak to a completely different audience!
And don't worry about whether your audience likes it or not.  Even if the audience  complains or leaves hate comments, at least you know they read it and that is a definite win!  Just keep writing because that is what America is all about.  And until they take that right away from us, keep those ideas flowing!
These fine folks below totally agree with me 100%.  You couldn't find a nicer group of people anywhere than at FanX SLC 2014!

A Basic Green Smoothie Recipe To Build On

  Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

 If you are someone who thinks that raw food is awesome, and that you should eat at least a minimum of 8 fruits and veggies per day, then perhaps the smoothie is the route you want to take.  
   Before I started drinking smoothies, I found it very hard to eat 8 fruits and vegetables per day.  I just didn't like them that much!  I much preferred my cereal, toast, and those tempting Cadberry Chocolate Eggs (especially around this time of year).  Now that I have started drinking smoothies, it's easy to get those fruit and veggie counts up!  Not only that, but you can add other nutritious things to pump up the nutrition that much more!  
   I remember that first time I started using my friend's VitaMix blender to make my smoothies.  It was all a big adventure.  I ended up getting rather ill by the time I had finished my smoothie.  But that was the one and only time I got sick.  That was two years ago! 
   Now I've got my own BlendTec and here is what I do to make my Smoothies.
   First, the greens.  Of course there are plenty of varieties of greens and I know that.  But I am a creature of habit and I've become used to the convenience of picking up my 2 bags of spinach and spring mix at the market.  I occasionally use arugula or mustard greens, kale or even chard.  But usually it's the same combo of Spinach and Spring Mix.  I add about 1 1/2 - 2 cups.

   Next I add a minimum of 3 whole fruits.  Today it was 2 bananas, 1 cup of strawberries and 1 slice of fresh pineapple.  Many times I add frozen fruits, such as blueberries or blackberries.

    On top of all this I add about 1 1/2 cup of water, rice milk or almond milk and 3/4 cup of ice.  
    Then I add the turbo nutrition, the add-ins, and the flavor enhancers.  That can be 1 or more of any of the following:

chia seeds - 1 teaspoon or more  Good for digestion, diabetes 2 prevention, great source of fiber, manganese, protein, tryptophan.  And much more!  See this article for more details!

Coconut Oil - 1 Tablespoon - Good for skin, hair, brain supplement, prevention for dementia, Alzheimers, can prevent allergies and boosts energy.  Read up here!

Whey Protein Powder, vanilla flavor - 1 or 2 scoops - Adds some flavor while increasing the protein content and fairly low in calories!

Organic Green Tea Powder -  1/2 teaspoon - Great for energy and focus, lots of antioxidants,  I use organic Matcha Green Tea Powder! 

Powdered Fiber Supplement, peach flavor - 1 scoop = 12 g - Great for appetite control, digestion, and cancer prevention.  I order mine from a health and wellness company I've used for a long time--can I say years? 

Sweetener - I use a non-GMO Stevia  product to add sweetness if needed.  Sometimes I'll use honey. 

Other things I'd like to try:  Silken tofu, pomegranate juice, kefir,  flaxseed,

I'm sure there are so many more things that you could add to make a super nutritious smoothie, I'm still experimenting and learning.  What do you like to add to your smoothies for super nutrition?  
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.