As The Storm Clouds Gather: A Personal Story Part 2

4:45 pm. No Mom or Jennifer. Where were they? I was feeling somewhat better and got dinner for us. Then I stepped outside for just a moment. The neighbor lady was walking by and she told me that there was a Tornado Watch until 11 pm and to be sure to tell my Mother. “Okay” was all I said. The sky looked fine to me so I never gave it another thought.

8:50 pm. It was still pouring down rain very hard and the wind was blowing. Mom made a comment to me that the dog and cat were acting strange. I asked her what did she mean and she replied the dog seemed to be pacing and the cat was jumpy. My stomach ache was suddenly back again. I finished my homework. I told Mom I was sick and wanted to go to bed. Debbie had company over for the night, so she told me to go sleep in her bed and she would take the couch.

I was glad to finally be in bed. I then quickly reminded God of my prayers for everything to be normal by tomorrow morning. I glanced at the clock which said 9:15. I rolled over onto my stomach; I had no idea that in two hours, at 11:15 pm exactly, that same clock was going to come to a stop forever.

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As The Storm Clouds Gather: A Personal Story

As I began to awake I knew something was wrong. My Mother standing over me, trying to get me to move in a voice filled with fear. The telephone was ringing, the bedroom door stood ajar with a single light being cast down the long hallway from the Living room. I felt my youngest sister lying beside me and my body was suddenly hot and sweaty from her being so close to me as she slept. Jennifer Lynn. In all of her childhood moments she never let me get to far from her sight. That night was no different. I sat up and looked at my Mother and calmly said “Oh” as if I had been expecting it.

I sat in bed looking at the light coming down the hallway. Then I heard the next to the youngest sister’s feet hit the floor as she jumped down from the top bunk in her bedroom. Glancing quickly, I saw the rest of my sisters and one of their friends standing huddled in a corner. Back to the door my eyes went and in horror I watched as everything went into slow motion while my Mother was reaching for the door in a desperate attempt to keep it open until the last one of us was in the bedroom. But Tina never made it.

I watched her shadow in the hallway disappear just before the bedroom door was jerked from my Mother’s hands and slammed shut. The lights went out but the phone kept up its eerily ringing for a few seconds longer.  Then that fear of complete silence crept in as we all waited in the dark for it to come take us. A heavy stillness hung in the air.

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An Independent Review On Gold Medal Wine Club by RevueZzle

This independent revue was done by
REVUEZZLE

This week I decided to put Gold Medal Wine Club on the spotlight itself. I looked at many different reviews, (2014, 2015) where they were compared against other wine clubs. On average they were rated a 3 star out of the best top 5 and for the wine collectors they had an average rate of 2 out of 5.

Although these reviews were good overall, to me they were not defined enough and what kept standing out was the fact that they all said Gold Medal had very strict standards. So then, why were they rated a 3 average instead of a one or a two I kept asking myself? So, I went through all of the reviews again to find the common denominator. Price is what it came down to. All of the reviews said that compared to other wine clubs, that compared to other wine clubs, GM’s were higher.

Perhaps I am wrong, but I don’t think price should be in any part of a rating. I want to know about the wine. I can decide on what price I will pay. What I want is the rating on quality, their standards and consistency on those standards. How about special requests on hard to find wine? Are they flexible enough on delivery? What about customer service, do they excel? Is the website informative and user friendly? What about their guarantees?

So, I scrapped all of those reviews and instead looked for a good independent “stand alone” review and I wanted to get as current as I could. What follows is one of the most detailed I could find. In fact, so detailed, I did not include all of it, but you can find the full review at

revuezzle.com

Fall 2015

If you are on the hunt for those hard-to-find or highly rated wines, Gold Medal Wine Club is here to serve. As an independent wine club, they bring the most refined selections from boutique wineries around the globe to your door. With over six memberships and a PLUS add-on program, there is certainly a membership to suit everyone at Gold Medal Wine Club.

“Their specialty is award winning high quality wines from 

around the world.”

For The Detailed Review

For More Information

Gold Medal Wine Club

DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR

America's Leading Independent Wine Club since 1992

Celebrating 25 years

"The wines produced by these boutique wineries are

among the best in the world."

Passion In A Bottle

On The Spotlight

Valley Legend Wines

Valley Legend Wines is the result of a passion to make wine without compromise. Concentrating on the fundamentals and the history of wine making, winemaker Greg Lawson’s philosophy is to, “Allow the uncorrupted aspect of the process to flourish and accentuate.”

Their specialties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Valley Legend Wines states that they will only “work with the best of the best and prefers to let their wines speak for themselves”

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For More Information

www.goldmedal.com

http://www.valleylegend.com/

A passion becoming reality takes time, persistence, patience, faith, desire, and fearlessness. The Valley Legend wine project is the direct result of a constant dream to make a wine without compromise. To focus on the true fundamentals of winemaking and combine them with world class winemakers, the benefits of modern technology and technique and an undying respect for history. 

The Historic Buffalo Trace

Source Hoosier National Forest

The first travel way across southern Indiana existed for centuries. While moving from the salt licks of Kentucky to the prairie grass of Illinois, the seasonal migration of the American bison created Indiana’s first highway, called the Buffalo Trace. Varying from 12 to 20 feet wide, the bison in some places on the trace had worn solid rock down to a depth of 12 feet.

Starting near modern- day Clarksville, Indiana, at the Falls of the Ohio, thousands of the bison would come together to cross the Ohio River at its shallowest point. After making the crossing, the bison then blazed a trail across southern Indiana to Vincennes, where they would then cross another river, the Wabash. At this point their trek together would end as they scattered to graze on the Illinois prairie grass...

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The Story of the Bison

Hoosier National Forest

Vincennes Trace

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The Tom Sawyer National Festival

Source Google

June 30^th – July 1^st, 2016

The KICK OFF Time for the parade is 10:00 am Monday, July 4^th. The Hannibal Jaycees’ Fourth of July is an annual event, a tradition, that everyone describes as a must see. Thousands will line up on Broadway and Main to see the parade and watch the colorful floats go by. They’ll get to see the fence painters, hear the local bands play and see lots of dancers.

Source Google

A proud tradition for 60 years, The Tom Sawyer National Festival has been held rain or shine in Hannibal. A huge Arts and Craft Festival, named the Samuel L. Clemens, is sponsored by The Kiwanis Club of Hannibal. Always located in Central Park close to all of the other activities, and will be held on Saturday, Sunday and Monday over the holiday. With 123 vendors this year get ready for some exercise. The Hannibal High School Booster Club will be offering fresh lemonade...

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Independence Day in New York City Rolls in With a Bang

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Festivals Information

ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL

Independence Day in New York City Rolls in With a Bang

Source Vacations Made Easy

Independence Day in New York City rolls in with a bang, as the city celebrates every July 4th with several unparalleled fireworks shows. The three main fireworks displays take place on the East River near Midtown, at South Street Seaport downtown, and on the Hudson in Jersey City at Liberty State Park.

From a high-up vantage point in Manhattan, one would be able to see all three displays at once! However, you may want to pick one location and set up with a picnic and a blanket in a nearby park - locations do fill up fast, so arrive in the afternoon and have fun with your family until sundown.

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New York City Central Park Sightseeing Tours

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Vacations Made Easy

Events In New York City

4TH OF JULY IN NEW YORK CITY

Discover New York City

New York Explorer Pass

61 Activities

Some consider the great New York City the cultural capital of the world and it is one of the most popular and dreamed of destinations by travellers everywhere. While there you’ll want to take time to admire the New York Skyline, see some of the world’s most famous monuments like the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the Chrysler Building, see a show on Broadway, stare in awe at Times Square and so much more.

Exploring NYC will satisfy all of your traveling needs. You can see one of the world’s most beloved art museums, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and experience the most varied cultures of the world. In New York you will find a surprising and incredible mix of cultures from all over the world, making the cuisine and nightlife experience a constant surprise

Visit the city’s parks, go shopping, browse the art museums and take tours to learn more about the history and significance of the various places. New York, the Big Apple, will never get boring.