Fire and Ice - 6-11-10

It was a busy night for our family on 6-11-10 since Joel and Rebekah did their new free dance for the first time in front of an audience and Joel and Annabelle did their new pair program! The kids did great!

14-Step Practice - Rebekah and Joel 6-1-2010

This was just such a good 14-step, that I HAD to share this video! I'm so proud of Rebekah and Joel!

Loops are not what they used to be!

I was really bad at back change loops when I worked on my 7th figure test as a kid. I'm afraid the new part of the moves in the field tests may have driven me right out of skating. I hope my kids can do them better than me!

Memorial Day 2010 Photos

Paul and Judy Steiner joined us at the Schneider Family vacation house on Memorial Day. After we ate, we spent some time outside just enjoying the beautiful day!

Joel and Rebekah are not in these photos since they didn't want to go outside! They were "lazing" in front of the TV!

Annabelle's Ballet Recital - 6-4-2010

Annabelle was in a ballet recital at Springs City Ballet on June 4, 2010. She was in an elaborate and intricate ballet number. She looked absolutely stunning in her tutu!

Summer Thoughts

Colorado Springs World Arena Summer Skate is about to begin! This will be the fifth consecutive summer that we've skated at the World Arena. Soon it will be Broadmoor Open, then the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, and our annual August trip to Long Beach, California to see relatives and enjoy the beaches of California will come. Then the kids will be back at Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy, they'll compete in Midwesterns and hopefully Junior Nationals and the winter holidays will happen and it will be 2011. Wow, time flies!

Memorial Service 6-1-10

I recorded this entire memorial service by hooking my computer to my TV-VCR and then taping what was on the screen. The service took place in San Francisco, I'm in Colorado. I wanted Dan to be able to watch it when he got home from work. After I made the tape, I had to transfer the video tape to DVD. Then I had to shrink the digital files to a smaller format. Then, I had to cut the thing into 5 different segments. Excuse the video quality.

I just wanted people who missed seeing the live online broadcast to see the memorial service. I found out after I did all of that, that a much better recording is available for viewing, but since I went to all this work, I'll leave my homemade copy here on my blog!

My Memories of Moishe Rosen

Yesterday, I was informed that Moishe Rosen died on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 8:30 PM. He was surrounded by his wife of 60 years, Ceil Rosen, his grandson Asher, and his daughter Ruth.

I knew he had been very ill, so his death was not a surprise.

There is a Moishe Rosen Memory website already set up. I took a look at the memory video that has been put together in his memory. I admit, that I did cry. I always wondered what I'd do when I heard that Moishe Rosen died. Unlike many of the people out there that think of him as an icon or legend, I think of him as a man who did some things that affected the lives of many people. Some people loved him, but others hated him.

There is a place on the memory website to share one's thoughts, but my thoughts are too long to be put there, so I'm going to put them here.

My first introduction to Moishe Rosen came in 1977. I read a book he wrote about JFJ that he wrote in 1974. When I finished the book, I felt I knew the man. His book talked about young and innovative people that seemed to unite under him. I wanted to be a part of what he had started.

I wanted to work for his organization and wrote a letter to his San Francisco office asking for a job. I received a note back from one of his assistants that suggested I first move to San Francisco and then after the group knew me, that perhaps I could apply to work for JFJ.

I decided not to do that, and moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 1978. There, I linked up with the LA Branch of JFJ, but did not meet Moishe Rosen. In fact, I didn't meet Moishe Rosen face to face until 1982 (I think) at a JFJ Ingathering in Santa Barbara.

Dan and I became official JFJ volunteers around that time. I remember only talking to Moishe at Ingatherings during our volunteer years. Once, at one Ingathering, he came up to me, looked me in the eye, and stated how much he appreciated me and Dan. Dan remembered having a short talk with him at one Ingathering.

That was the extent of interactions until early 1988.

You see, in 1988. Dan and I went on JFJ staff. Before going on staff, we flew to San Francisco and met with Moishe. I remember going to a sushi restaurant with him for lunch. I ordered a salad, but Dan was convinced by Moishe to order sushi. I learned later that sushi was Moishe's favorite food!

We spent most of the day with Moishe during that "pre-interview." He asked a lot of personal questions and I remember being very drained after our day there.

A few weeks later we returned to San Francisco for a JFJ Council Meeting and were accepted on staff.

In the afternoon, on that Council Meeting day, after finding out that we were accepted on JFJ staff, Moishe asked me to walk with him to his office from the Hospitality House. (His office was at 60 Haight Street, and the Hospitality House was at 160 Haight.) I went to his office (called Executory), sat down, and began reading Moishe's books. ( I learned later that Moishe didn't like anyone to touch his books, but he didn't seem to mind me touching them that day.) He went into a smaller office inside Executory and took a nap. I waited. When his nap ended, we walked back to the Hospitality House.

That day at the JFJ council meeting was very draining. I remember Moishe telling me that I relied too much on my husband. I would have to change, he stated. He told me, in front of the entire Council that JFJ would help me change. I also remember him asking us if we were going to stay in "The City" that night. I answered that we were going to stay at my friend's house in Mountain View. He responded, "That is not The City." Soon I learned that people that lived in San Francisco called San Francisco "The City.

When we began working on JFJ staff in April of 1988, I had little interaction with Moishe, but Dan saw him every day because Dan worked in Executory serving as Susan Perlman's assistant.

Then, in the summer of 1988, we both went on Campaign in New York City. I'll never forget that Campaign. Moishe was there the entire summer and ran that Campaign. I don't remember or not if he was up as early as the Campaigners, but he was always there when the group ate meals together. He told us not to use our real names out on the street and to take on names from Star Trek and Star Wars. He was "Mr. Spock" I recall. I chose the name "Princess Leah" and throughout that Campaign, in my conversations on the street with strangers, I called myself "Leah," not JO ANN!



Once I remember going out one night on Campaign with his "team." We were told to stay a close as possible to our team leader, so I walked as close behind Moishe as possible. He was walking towards the New York Public Library. Once we arrived, he went up the steps and began reciting a street testimony. It was like something out of a movie about NYC!

That summer he announced that he wanted me to pass out broadsides on my Rollerblades, so someone from San Francisco shipped them out to NYC. I really liked broadsiding on Rollerblades!

1988 passed. I don't know when our schedule changed, but soon I saw Moishe at least once a week in Executory since the San Francisco branch wrote postcards with Moishe every Friday afternoon. (Maybe we also wrote postcards with him on Tuesday, but I'm not sure.)

1989 began. By then, I wasn't sure I liked my job with JFJ. Moishe thought it would be good for me to go with the JFJ women to NYC for a long weekend of fun. I did have a great time. I remember shopping, eating, and just enjoying being in NYC! The attached photo was taken specifically for Moishe during that weekend in New York City.



When the weekend ended, and I saw Moishe at JFJ headquarters, he told me that he knew I would have a good time and was glad he had decided to send me on that weekend. That weekend truly was a gift I'll never forget!

By the Spring of 1989, I really wanted out of my JFJ job. I still wanted to work for the organization, but wanted a part time job. It turned out that I stayed with the job until the end of August. In September, I began a leave of absence.

It was in early September, that Dan and I renewed our wedding vows at a beautiful ceremony at the Hospitality House. Moishe officiated. He told me how pretty and happy I looked.



After my leave of absence, I met with Moishe and was absolutely shocked when he told me I could not work for JFJ. He fired me! It was a very bad experience since he was not nice to me at that meeting. Years later, he told me he thought he was doing a good thing by telling me I could not work for JFJ, but at the time I was so very upset.

A day or so later, Moishe sent me a letter telling me he was thinking about me.

In January of 1990, I decided to get the funds together to go to a Co-Laborer ingathering of sorts that took place in Fort Myers, Florida. Moishe and Ceil came. It was a very precious time for the people who attended since they all got to spend a lot of time with Moishe that week. There was not a great crowd there; it was an intimate group. I remember everyone going to the beach and how happy Moishe and Ceil looked in Florida. On our last day in Florida, we all at a huge brunch together at the Florida hotel. I remember sitting with Ceil and Moishe during that meal. The attached photo shows that group of Co-Laborers together in Florida with Moishe in the center.




Dan and I only stayed in San Francisco about 2 more years. During that time, I began teaching ice skating in San Mateo and I also worked 3 days a week in a medical office. I was very busy, but volunteered a bit with JFJ during that time. Sometimes I would go to "Postcards" in Executory on Tuesdays after I was done teaching skating. I went because I wanted Moishe to see that I was doing well.

During that time, Moishe wife, Ceil, took an interest in skating. Sometimes I would pick her up and take her to the ice rink with me. It was fun to spend that quality time with her as we drove to and from the San Mateo ice rink. She told me once, when I filled up my gas tank at the self-service pump that she had never put gas in her car on her own! She was just so very sweet.

Another time, Dan and I volunteered to help out at a huge meal at Moishe's house. I remember he and Ceil had two kitchens in that house. The bottom floor had a smaller kitchen in the walk-out basement which was used for parties. As I was washing dishes in that smaller kitchen and putting things away, a piece of what I thought was a kitchen drawer, came off completely! . It was not a drawer, but just a cabinet cover. I put the piece back in place, but really was nervous and wondered if I should confess that I may have damaged that cabinet. I never did confess. For years I felt guilty! To this day, I've wondered if that cabinet is still broken! I wonder if Moishe or Ceil ever noticed that the cabinet cover broke and wondered who the culprit was!

We left San Francisco in late 1991 for Colorado Springs. We had a bit of interaction with Moishe as we left. He sent me a nice letter stating that he believed we would be happy in Colorado Springs and once we arrived he sent us a Mezzuzah case to put on our the doorpost of our home in Colorado.

A few years later, we returned to San Francisco around Christmas time and went to Moishe's house for a party on New Year's Eve. That is probably the last time I saw Moishe face to face.

Years passed. In 2002 or so, I began the ex-jfj listserv and website. I wrote a book about my JFJ experience. Then, in 2003, the time came when the whole ex-jfj thing fell apart. It was during that time I had numerous conversations via phone, email, and chat directly with Moishe. He looked at photos of my children and sometimes talked to me about skating or about whatever was going on.

I found that sometimes talking to Moishe did not make me feel so good, so our conversations and interaction faded over time. My anger at JFJ faded as time passed too. Dan's accident in 2005 made all that happened in the past seem trivial.

I've had very little interaction with Moishe in recent years, but he did comment on some of the things I posted on Facebook and seemed a bit interested in what my kids were doing with skating.

Anyway, hearing he died, makes me sad. One article says he was like a Godfather. Yes, in some ways, that does describe him.. I told him once that he was like "The Godfather" and he thought that was very funny! So many people were in awe of him, but they also feared him.

Today, I found out that my name and actions are are included in an article in Christianity Today about the late Moishe Rosen. I feel so honored. Wow..I feel I am now part of a history book...

We Went to the Flying W Ranch to Celebrate My Birthday - May 7, 2010

I wanted to do something special for my birthday, so I made a reservation for our family to go to the Flying W Ranch Winter Steak House. The last time we'd been to the Flying W Ranch was before Rebekah and Annabelle were born and when Joel was just a little guy. I knew we'd all be in for a treat.

The meal was great of course, but what made the evening extra fun was when the cowboys that entertained the audience asked for volunteers to come on stage. Rebekah and Annabelle volunteered themselves and me!

Suddenly we all were on stage and we were told we were going to play a "To Tell The Truth" type game. Rebekah and Annabelle were taken to a "secret room" and I was asked some questions. There were two other families on stage, so I wasn't alone.

The girls came back and we tried to see if their answers matched mine. I don't remember the specific questions, but they asked things like "What is your favorite thing to do with your children?" and "What did your kids give you last year on Mother's Day?" and "Which celebrity would be a perfect match for your daughters?"

None of the questions were answered the same by me or the girls....

Then, they sent me backstage with the two other moms. When I returned, I was asked, "When is your birthday?"

Of course, my answer and the girl's answer matched!

Everyone in the place was asked to since "Happy Birthday" to me! It was really special! Here I was, standing on stage, and not only were "Waiter Cowboys" singing to me, but all the customers in the Steakhouse celebrated with me!

After that, we went back to our table and finished our dinner. It was so good! I had bbq brisket, Annabelle had bbq chicken, Dan had steak, and Rebekah had halibut. Joel enjoyed the chips and popcorn. All three kids had ice cream for dessert. The meal also included a baked potato, baked beans, biscuits, and salad.

When we finished the meal, the Flying W Wranglers entertained us with an incredible live stage show. It was a night and birthday to remember!

My Life Is Connected Through the Friendships I've Made! - Rambling on my birthday May 7

On May 6, the day before my birthday, I noticed I had hit the 900 Facebook Friends mark. I started thinking about my life. Each one of my Facebook friends represents a part of it.

For example, my father, Arthur Schneider, is on Facebook. So are my cousins Cherie Kadison-Jay and Loren Kadison. They've known me since I was a tot. My brother, Billy, does not have a Facebook page, but his wife, Amy Sutherland Schneider does. My sister Lynnellen, is not into using the computer, but her son, Drew Ste. Marie has a Facebook page. My children, Joel Schneider-Farris and Rebekah Schneider-Farris, both have Facebook pages. Annabelle Schneider-Farris and Rebekah and Joel Schneider-Farris have Facebook fan pages too.

Family is family...we are connected forever, but I'm glad we can be connected on Facebook too!

I'm kind of rambling, but, let me tell you how about my life and how all my friends and family and the people I've met have helped to connect it. Also, it is amazing to me that people that have touched me somehow are also connected!

I grew up in southern California:

I was born way back in the 1950s in Los Angeles, California. I'm the oldest of three children. My brother, Billy was born in 1958 and my sister, Lynnellen, was born in 1959. My parents are Arthur Schneider and Edith Kadison Schneider. They met in the late 1940s at UCLA and were married in August of 1950.

Our family lived in various places in California when I was growing up. In 1964, we settled in Bel-Air (next door to Beverly Hills!). All three of the Schneider kids went to Bellagio Road Elementary School which was right in the middle of Bel-Air.

Lenny Shaw, who was in my 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes from Bellagio Road Elemntary School "friended me" just a few days before my birthday. Thanks to Facebook, I found out his birthday falls on May 6, just one day before mine. He is one day older. He told me he remembered when I got a demerit in Miss McCormack's 5th grade class. I was a perfect kid, who did not ever misbehave or get into trouble. He not only remembered me, but remembered that incident! Isn't that amazing!

I was a Camp Fire Girl in elementary school. Classmates.com actually connected me with someone who was close to me in my Camp Fire Girls group named Sara Morgan Wade. Sara went with me for one week to Camp Yallani, a Camp Fire Girl camp in Angeles Oaks, California when I just had completed 4th grade. Thanks to Classmates.com, Sara found me. We wrote many emails to one another about 8 or 9 years ago. We discovered that we had so many things to share about our lives. Sara and her husband, Mark Wade, are now connected to me on Facebook. It amazes me that someone I knew when I was 9 years old can be in touch with me today so easily through the internet, letters, and Facebook!

After I graduated from Bellagio Road School, I went on to Emerson Junior High which was located in Westwood Village. We moved away from Bel-Air when I was 15, so as time passed, I lost touch with any ties I had in Bel-Air, but do wonder what happened to certain people from that time in my life.

Bernadette McEwan Brake, was my best friend at Emerson Junior High. I've wondered what happened to her since I last saw her in 1971. Thanks to Facebook, I found her just a few weeks ago! She called me and it's like we picked up where we left off.


Ice skating connections from southern California:

Then, there's all the skating people who represent all sorts of eras of my life. Everyone in the "skating world" knows that skaters have a unique connection that seems to never disconnect. Only figure skaters understand this, but it is truly amazing.

• Six Degrees of FIGURE SKATING Separation

Anyway...

I started ice skating in 1964 at an ice rink in southern California's San Fernando Valley called Valley Ice Skating Center. My first skating friend at that rink was Erika Susman Shorr. We reconnected a few years ago at the US Junior National Figure Skating Championships, but via Facebook, we are able to keep in touch. Another skating friend, Marina Drasnin, from my Valley Ice Skating Center days has connected to me through Facebook. It really is quite amazing!

The Burge family also skated there. They are the ones who told us about the "big skating world" got us to leave Valley Ice Skating Center for a higher level figure skating facility. We skated in Culver City and Santa Monica and Burbank. Friends from all those rinks are among my Facbook friends, including Wendy Burge Dickinson, Ken Newfield, Paul Guzman, and Tai Babilonia.

Summers in Squaw Valley:

During the summers, my family ventured to Squaw Valley for skating vacations. I ended up going to Squaw Valley for five different summers. Friends from those years are also among my Facebook friends, including Juli McKinstry Hosking, Lilla Tilghman, Bill Tilghman, and Lisa Illsley Navarro.

I must mention that during those "Squaw Years" I became friends with Marion Ennis Curtis. We've been friends ever since and consider one another "best friends." In fact, we've been best friends for over 40 years! Marion got me to join Facebook just a little over a year ago. Marion and I are connected in many more ways than just skating.

Ice Dancing:

When I was thirteen years old, I began ice dancing. That changed my skating life a bit, because I began to travel and skate at all the rinks in southern California. I had four different ice dance partners during my competitive skating career. Two of them, Corey Isenberg and Gary Forman, are also among my Facebook friends.

One of my ice dance coaches was Darlene Gilbert. Darlene is not on Facebook, but her husband Jerry Gilbert and his daughter Gail Gilbert-Mielke are.

Iceland Paramount:

In high school, my brother, sister, and I trained at Iceland in Paramount. Our coach was Doug Chapman. I saw Doug turn Dianne De Leeuw into a world figure skating champion during those years. Dianne is also connected to me through Facebook and so is her sister Marianne De Leeuw.

I also took singles lessons from Brian Tuck at a rink in West Covina and sometimes in Paramount. He is now connected to me on Facebook!


Hollywood Professional School:

I did not go to a public high school for 10th or 12th grade. Instead, I went to Hollywood Professional School and graduated from there. I'm also connected with several HPS alumni (skaters and non-skaters) on Facebook. One of those friends is Elaine Ballace who knows more about Hollywood Professional School than anyone I know. Other people who I attended HPS who I am now in touch with via Facebook include Mary Jo Shields Lefebvre, Roberta Loughland Snow, Karin Frandsen Blute, and Wendy Halber Olson.

Colorado in the 1970s:

My brother, Billy, went to Colorado to train under Carlo Fassi in the early 1970s. Carlo is no longer with us, but Carlo's wife, Christa Fassi, is one of my Facebook friends. Donna Arquilla Link trained under Carlo then and she too, is connected to me on Facebook. Canadian skating champions Lynn Nightingale and also Ron Shaver trained at "CIA" (Colorado Ice Arena) with Billy then, and both of them are connected to me on Facebook.

I ended up going to Colorado shortly after that to train at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. I have many facebook friends from those Colorado years, which include Debbie Might, Patrisha Cass, Nigel Cass, Michael Howard, Anne Marie (Baldy) Murphy, and Phil Tatton.

I went to Colorado College then. Many friends from "CC" are also among my Facebook friends, including Frank Langben, Helen Johnson, and Yvonne Krul. Yvonne lives in the Netherlands, but has made the effort to stay connected with me through holiday cards. Facebook now makes connecting easier.


Long Beach:

After I left competitive figure skating and graduated from Colorado College, I went back to southern California. My parents moved to Chicago while I was in Colorado, so I couldn't go back to a home in southern California, so I moved in with my grandmother in Long Beach. I met my husband Dan Farris only a few months after I moved to Long Beach. We met at Calvary Chapel of Long Beach. Even friends from that time are now reuniting on Facebook! Dan and I shared a house during that time that was nicknamed The Atherton House. Friends from our Atherton House days are also connected to me on Facebook.

I have a real live penpal!

When I lived at the Atherton House (way back in 1979 or 1980 or so!), I began a unique friendship with someone named Debbie Knauss Hackman. She was in college at the time. She wrote me a letter after I posted an advertisement in SKATING Magazine thinking I was someone else. I wrote her back and explained I was not the person she thought, but I asked if we'd like to become pen-pals. She and I have stayed connected through letters all these years. Now, we are connected on Facebook, but have yet met face to face!

Coaching Skating:

In 1983, I began coaching skating. I first taught for Ice Capades Chalets and then I taught at Iceland in Paramount. When Dan and I moved to San Francisco, I taught skating in San Mateo. I am connected on Facebook to many of the people I taught with at those rinks and with some of my students! Some of those people include Dorian Shields Valles, Debbie Takeuchi Latham, Stefano Stefan, Melissa Parker, Dave Parker, Mary Becktell, BJ (Passerella) Lilly, Scootie Paulsen, Laurie Brandell Stern, Jennie Walsh, Jacqui Palmore, and Shirley DaMotta.

San Francisco:

Dan and I left southern California in April of 1988, and moved to San Francisco. Many of the people we worked with from the organization we worked for in San Francisco are connected to me and Dan on Facebook. Some still work for that organization and others are just connected in some way. Some of those friends include Lisa Opton-Cohen, Elazar Brandt, Gordon Kushner, Lori Baron, Dyane Hendricks, and Susan Rothbard-Smadja.


Colorado Springs 1991 and beyond:

In late 1991, Dan and I settled in Colorado Springs and we've lived there ever since. I'm connected to many of the people we've connected with during our years here, especially ice and roller skaters and homeschooling families. I have so many Facebook friends who are connected to me through Colorado!

I can't mention everyone, but I am very close to Larisa Gendernalik and Hellene Anderson. Facebook also now has me connected regularly with Lisa Valentine Krenz who is the person I have to thank for getting me started with teaching skating in the Springs. Lisa moved to Michigan years ago, and is no longer involved in skating, but we are still connected.

Homeschooling families are also closely connected to me and my kids. One person who is always "there" for me when I need her is Susie Essing, a homeschool mom of 5 who also teaches my kids piano.

DeeDee Couch, is someone who had a great impact on my kids when they were little. She sees me at the rink all the time, but also is so supportive of all our family is doing!

I especially also want to mention Haley Gans and Patricia Gans. They are two wonderful people who we met at the Colorado Springs World Arena. Haley died tragically in a skiing accident in November of 2009. Haley touched many people during her short 14 year life. Haley's mom, Pat, became integrated in my life and the life of many others. I am glad to be connected to Pat Gans on Facebook.

There's no way I can mention everyone who has touched my life and been there for me and my family during our years in Colorado Springs, but I want you to know how much I do appreciate you all and how you have touched my life. Many of you went over and above for me, Dan, and the kids when Dan was injured in September of 2005. Thank you!


Internet Connections and Friends:

The world is shrinking. Many of the people I am connected with on Facebook are also people I've met through my job as About.com's Guide to Figure Skating. The World Wide Web has connected me with so many people that love the sport. Facebook makes talking about what I love with hundreds of people! Anyone who has anything to do with skating seems to be instantly connected to me!

I especially want to mention my friendship with Kathie Fry, who introduced me to About.com. We've only met face to face once, but feel so very connected. Another person is Mary Lu Wehmeier, who like me, seems to know everyone and everything about skating (but her world extends way into the roller skating world).


Thanks for being my friend!:

I realize as I look back at my life, that friends and family have helped me be who I am today. I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has touched my life for being a part of it!

Another Year -- Another Piano Recital 5-1-10

The girls have taken piano lessons consistently with Susie Essing for over two and a half years now. Today, they played in another piano recital. They've made steady progress with their music. We are so proud of them!

We Celebrated Rebekah's Birthday at a Moroccan Restaurant 4-16-2010

Rebekah wanted to do something fancy for her birthday, so we went to a Moroccan restaurant. We ate with our fingers and sat on pillows on the floor. There was even a belly dancer!

Wow! We Had a Blast At the 2010 World Synchronized Skating Championships!

We are such a lucky family! Last year, in March, we traveled to Los Angeles, and went to the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships. Then, in February of 2010, Jo Ann and Annabelle went to the Vancouver Olympics.

Now, right in our backyard, at the Colorado Springs World Arena, the 2010 World Synchronized Skating Championships took place.


Annabelle volunteered and was a guard runner during the afternoon practice sessions on Thursday afternoon.



Jo Ann obtained media accreditation, and got a journalist credential. Joel took part in the opening draw ceremony and got to escort pretty girls off the stage! All three kids carried flags of different countries in the on-ice opening ceremonies.



Annabelle and her ice dance partner, Val Katsman, enjoyed dancing and celebrating with the Croatian athletes.



Our entire family sat in the stands and cheered for the USA! What a wonderful experience!

I'm Disgusted With the American Girl Company's New Denver Store

Going to Denver is not something our family does very often, but today, it seemed like a good idea to drive up to Denver to visit the new American Girl Place Store. I am now disgusted with that company.

When we arrived, we were told that we could get in a line and wait for 3 to 4 hours just to get inside the store. The weather was bitter cold. The wait was not inside a mall, but outside in the cold Colorado weather. Why would we want to do such a thing? There should have been a reservation system or upon arrival, customers could have been given a specific appointment time to return.

The mall would have made more money if that system had been used. Customers would have spent money in the mall while they waited for their time to enter the American Girl Store. Instead, customers waited for hours in line, spent money in only one store, the American Girl store, and left the mall exhausted and irritable.

At 4;30 PM, we returned to find out if the wait was less, but were told that people that got in the line at that time had no guarantee of getting inside the store at all since the store closed at 9:00 PM. The wait in line was now 5 hours!

How stupid. I always loved American Girl dolls and everything related to American Girl. Now, I doubt we'll purchase anything from that company again. I came prepared to spend some money there. Instead, Denver's new American Girl store's terribly handled grand opening has lost this faithful customer.

We Have No Heat - Almost $700 Wasted - How Come Furnace Physicians & Air Conditioning Specialists, Inc. Can't-Won't Fix Our Heater?

A week ago, our heater stopped working. Dan panicked and called the first number he found in the phone book.

A repairman from Furnace Physicians & Air Conditioning Specialists, Inc. in Colorado Springs came out to our house and charged us $134 for just coming to our house (there was a "call fee" and a "diagnostic fee") and they said there was nothing wrong. They told Dan that when he had replaced the heating filters, he closed the cover to the furnace incorrectly. They showed Dan how to close the furnace cover correctly and told him that should get our heater working.

That evening Dan noticed that the heat didn't work still. He called Furnace Physicians back and they came out again and told Dan we needed a new thermostat.

That cost us another $135 for the Thermostat part.

After Furnace Physicians left, the heat worked for a couple hours and then did not work again. Dan called Furnace Physicians back.

At first, they said, they would have to charge us $99 to just come out to our house again, but somehow, Dan talked them out of doing that since we already had spent close to $300. They came out to our house again.

The third time they came out they said a gas valve was faulty. The charged us $421 to replace the valve.

After the gas valve was replaced, we had heat for 6 hours and it went out again.

We called the Furnace Physicians back on Saturday. The company told us that we could order another $400 part "a motherboard type device" that may or may not get our heater working. They could order that part for us and charge another $99 for just coming to install the $400 part. That means we have to come up with another $500 dollars at least.

They told us that after paying another $500, if they still can't get the heater working, we will need to buy a new furnace and they'll give us credit for everything we paid to them so far if we want to go that route and have them install the furnace we buy from them.

In the meantime, Furnace Physicians brought by some space heaters for us to use temporarily, but we don't really have any more money to spend so we are in a freezing Colorado house sitting next to space heaters and trying to stay warm, but not knowing quite what to do.

More About Jo Ann's Vancouver Olympic Experience

Right after I returned from the Olympics in Vancouver, my About.com editor asked me to share about what it was like to represent About.com at the recent Winter Olympic Games. Of course, it was a great experience. There is so much to share!



When I arrived in Vancouver, I felt I was venturing in on "unknown
territory," but I quickly gained confidence.

Getting Media Accreditation gave me equal prestige with all the media that attended the Games. There was a big "E" around my neck that meant "Everything." That got me into any Olympic event and practice.

However....

Before I left, my editor and I read the fine print. There were a few exceptions. "E" didn't really mean everything.

Some "high demand" events (including figure skating) required media to have special tickets. We really didn't know what that meant until I arrived. Was there a chance I'd go all the way to the Olympics and not be able to see the figure skating events? Would I end up just hanging out in the background? Fred and I were not really sure.

Once I arrived and obtained my Accreditation, the Main Media Press Centre had that answer inside.

I inquired at a general help desk and was personally escorted to the USOC office. It took awhile to explain to three or four different people what About.com was, but finally it was determined that About.com Figure Skating, along with Yahoo Sports, The New York Times, icenetwork.com, The Los Angeles Times, and others, had equal clout when it came to getting access to high demand figure skating events. I was "in."

I still had to check back each day to see if I had been issued a press ticket, but I was not treated differently just because I was web, not paper media.

Now, let me share about the Main Media Centre:

The Main Media Centre was a bit like an Olympic Village in itself. I loved the peace and quiet there, but I also enjoyed the royal treatment I was given. On my first day in the Media Centre, I was given a Press Kit, which was a backpack full of "goodies." Inside were pens, paper, Olympic tags, Olympic flash memory drives, disks full of Vancouver information, photos, brochures, Olympic cold medicine, an ethernet cable, and even an Olympic pedometer!

There were plush buses that took us to the events. There was private bank, store, huge big screen televisions, and printed material about all events available. There was also a food court, a travel agency, and even a laundry inside.

One day, I took advantage of free massages given to the media! I found out I certainly needed that massage. I did so much walking and running around. I ended up with blisters on my feet and very sore muscles.

I really only spent time at the Pacific Coliseum, where the figure skating and short track speed skating took place. There was also was a smaller media center there. I could get food there, get coffee, attend press conferences, and pick up printed results and information about the skaters there. There were times the place looked as busy as Wall Street.

Also, there were private restrooms reserved only for media, so I didn't have to wait in the long lines the public used...

In that media center, it was fascinating to hear all the different languages being spoken and to look at the big screen televisions that showed all the Olympic events going on at once. I ventured into the Mixed Zone too, but found I liked being out in the stands watching the skating live. In the arena, we got to sit at huge press desks that had private TV screens so we could see the skating up close if needed. I made friends with media from other countries.

I did not do my About.com writing at either media center, since that cost "big bucks." I wrote at night and in the early mornings from the place I was staying. Once, my internet connection went out and I found a Starbucks. Even there, I met members of the public that read my About.com articles. It seems like we have quite a few Canadian readers.

I told my editor about all the great conversations I had with the public about About.com. I especially wanted to share about that!

Since I did not limit myself to only taking media transportation, I met many people from all over the world as I went to and from events on the Sky Train and public buses. People would see my Media badge and ask questions. I'd pass out my About.com business cards freely. Once, the entire group of passengers on a public bus stopped and listened to what I had to say just after one of the figure skating events! It was so cool! That began to happen quite a bit.

About.com seems to really be widely read all over the world. People kept saying, "I read About.com all the time! I read your articles. They are great!"

I gained so much confidence after this experience. I now feel that I can tackle anything! I am planning now for Sochi in 2014...