26th Anniversary King day of service = Jan.16th

January 16, 2012 will mark the 26th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. This milestone is a perfect opportunity for Americans to honor Dr. King’s legacy through service. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.
On January 16, we observe the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement. He successfully protested discrimination in federal and state laws. He also recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals.
In honor of King’s memory, the National Martin Luther King Day of Service was started by Pennsylvania Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. The federal legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 23, 1994.
The goal of the Act honoring King is to make the holiday a day when people of all ages and backgrounds come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that King envisioned.
Since its inception, participation in public service projects has grown each year.
In 2009, a record number of Americans honored King and answered then president-elect Obama’s call to service by volunteering on the January 19 King Day of Service.
More than 13,000 service projects took place across the country, twice as many as in the previous year.
Americans made it “a day on, not a day off” by delivering meals, refurbishing schools, helping older people, reading to children, signing up mentors, and much more.
Go online and check out:
www.mlkday.gov
An awesome resource that will help you Plan, Serve and Share impact.

Longview resident is a cancer “Pre-vivor” …. are you?

I’m called a previvor for a reason. Cancer has always surrounded me; my grandpa, aunts, cousins, my dad and so on. I don’t ever recall a time when I didn’t know about the dreaded disease. With my family history, I was bugging my doctors, even in my twenties and thirties.
“Shouldn’t I start having mammograms now?” I would ask.
I was always told that I was too young, and that I didn’t need to worry about it because it was on my “dad’s side”.
When I turned forty, it was time for my first mammogram.
I had a horrible feeling about the appointment. The technician asked if I would like to see what the images looked like. I immediately focused on the perfect white circle that stood out on my right breast.
My doctor contacted me right away and expressed that there were concerns I might have breast cancer.
Breast Cancer.
After five grueling weeks of mammograms, ultrasounds and a needle biopsy, I finally received word that the cyst was benign.
Benign!
I should have been thrilled. Instead, I felt as though I had received a warning sign.
Thankfully, my dad is a genealogy buff so we mapped out our family history of cancer.
It was shocking to see generations of family members who had been affected; breast cancer for the women and prostate cancer for the men. It started with my great, great grandmother and spread like wild fire through the family tree.
When I gave this information to my Ob/GYN, he strongly suggested that I consider genetic testing and he sent me a referral letter to get the ball rolling. In hindsight, he very well may have saved my life.
At first, I was in denial.
I was also angry.
I had heard a little bit about genetic cancer through the years; however I always felt the measures the women had taken seemed so extreme.
Why on earth would you have a mastectomy if you didn’t have cancer?
The thoughts kept nagging at me; yet I knew I had to face the inevitable.
After about a year of processing the information, I made my appointment to meet with a genetics counselor.
Ironically, around the same time my father received a letter from a distant cousin. She had written to inform us that she had gone through the genetic testing and the results were positive for BRCA2. She provided the lab results and encouraged family members to consider testing.
I felt it was another sign.
The day finally came to meet with the genetics counselor. My husband and I sat in her office, holding hands.
We discussed in detail my family history, and she went over the information for both of the gene mutations; BRCA1 and BRCA2. She also informed me that if I tested positive, I would never be able to take out a life insurance or long-term care insurance policy.
It was a simple blood test.
How odd it seemed to me that my life was potentially going to change just by filling a vial and sending it to a laboratory.
I also remember telling her that I wouldn’t be surprised at all if I tested positive.
After several weeks of anticipation, I received the phone call.
I had tested positive for the BRCA2 mutation. I was now placed into a pile of grim statistics; 85% risk for breast cancer, 30% risk for ovarian cancer, and an increased risk for melanoma and pancreatic cancer.
Becoming obsessed with my research, I spent countless hours reading books and researching information. I quickly realized I had multiple options and none of them was perfect.
I could do nothing.
I could just ignore it and go on living my life.
I could go with six month surveillance, alternating between mammograms, breast MRIs, ultrasounds and other tests.
That didn’t sound so bad, but then I read about people with BRCA mutations who had been diligent with their surveillance and were now dead because the cancer had taken over in between the six months.
Understanding dawned that I wasn’t your ‘average person’.
My 13th chromosome was altered and I didn’t have the ability to stop cancer from forming in my body.
Prevention was the key.
All I could think about were my family members who had died. They had lived during a time when they didn’t know that gene mutations existed and they had suffered.
I, on the other hand, was given the gift of knowledge and the ability to do something about it.
I now understood why those people, who I once considered crazy, had gone out and had mastectomies and hysterectomies.
They were previvors!
In honor of those who had suffered in my family, and in order to go on living my life, I decided to take charge and do everything humanly possible to fight it.
I was determined to get through it, and I was going to do it with a smile on my face.
I now had a surgical team; an entire team of doctors working together to get me through each step of the long process. I had to be patient.
It all started with the hysterectomy one and a half years ago, which dramatically reduced my chances for ovarian cancer and breast cancer risk. Six months later, I had a bi-lateral prophylactic mastectomy. I also figured that if I was going to go through this, I was going to come out looking better than ever; therefore I chose to go through breast reconstruction. This process involved painful chest expanders, breast implants, nipple reconstruction and even tattoos; all to simulate the look of natural breasts.
Years ago, women were basically mutilated when they had mastectomies. Today, there are so many great options for reconstruction. You can look amazing again if that’s the route you choose.
Today, I am thankful for my faith, my husband, family, friends, employer and co-workers. They supported me through the entire process. When I was angry and sad, they stood by my side and told me I was brave. While I could have remained very private about my experience, instead I have shared my story in order to help others.
I hope to save lives by encouraging those with a strong history of cancer in their family to be proactive and ask questions.
I am a previvor and I am proud.
*Please share this story with those around you, and help increase the awareness of the genetic gene mutations that contribute to cancer, and the genetic testing that is available today.
Together, we can create more previvors! To learn more about BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, visit
http://www.facingourrisk.org/

Happy Birthday!

December is the month that things start to go a little wild in our families. Not including Christmas and New Year, there are a total of 8 birthdays in the span of 6 weeks. FUN! So, happy birthday, to my dear sweet little boy, who is turning 3 this Christmas! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe how fast these three years have gone – you are such a smart and loving little boy and just filled to the brim with personality! You are truly my little buddy, and I cherish these times we get together playing at home “tackle mommy” and “hide and go seek”, as well as our special “mommy school”..I LOVE YOU, SON! ☺
And a special Happy Birthday wish to Grandma Jill, Colby and Miley – we are so excited to celebrate your special days, too!

Oscar Myre V ♥
December 22nd

Sweet son, you are a light in our lives, and make
our family such an interesting place to be.
We love your humor and intelligence!
Happy Happy Birthday!! We ♥ you!!

Readers chime in with their stories

Your loyal Publisher had been trying to fill this empty space, and decided to ask a question on FaceBook: “I need a super sweet OR super funny animal story”, and readers responded!
MatchMakers that drool
By Laurrie Piland
Well, 6 years ago, before my husband and I got married, we were stressing because we wanted a nice wedding, but we didn’t have a lot of money.
We were stressing on where we would come up with the money to buy my husband a wedding ring. We put our dogs in the garage and went somewhere, I forget where.
When we came back, the dogs had torn into a box, I’m not sure where it came from, I, to this day, have no idea. Those dogs managed to find 2 men’s gold wedding bands in the box!!
We traded one to have the other one sized and we got married on December 14, 2005 and were able to exchange wedding rings, courtesy of our dogs
Have a good story to share? Send it to us: editor@valleybugler.com

How the Ronald McDonald House changed the lives of this local family

This Christmas season, consider giving gifts that impact lives and create a living legacy of thankfulness. Think charitable giving. Here is one local family’s story of how it changed their lives.
‘The Ronald McDonald House-East Side’
This is the house where families meet to continue their lives,
To eat and sleep,
To find their strengths,
And dry their tears,
To look forward with hope to better years.
This is the house that becomes their home.
This is “The House That Love Built”!
~Author Unknown~

By Johnene Thielen
The Ronald McDonald House is a place for families to stay while their sick child is receiving treatment in the hospital. This is a great relief for families because during the trying time that you are helpless to fix your child, there is a community of people ready and willing to help you in all ways possible.
Seven years ago we stayed at The Ronald McDonald House for a little under a month while our 7 year old daughter recovered from a Traumatic Brain Injury resulting from a car accident. At the time we were living in Kelso, WA (about 40 miles away), we were on vacation when our kids ages 6 and 7 were in the wreck with their Grandparents on Hwy 26.
Once we received the news we “flew” to the hospital. All we had were the clothes we had brought with us to the beach. For 2 1/2 weeks we stayed in Jade’s hospital room at Dornbechers in ICU waiting for her to wake from her coma. Fortunately our son, Brad, walked away with a broken arm. Unfortunately, during this time he really needed to be with his parents but was too young to stay with us in her little ICU room. My husband and I slept on the window sill bed and our son was shifted between family members.
While waiting for Jade  to “wake” from her coma, we thought the hard part was done. We were sent to Legacy Emanuel Hospital for her recovery. When Jade “woke” from her coma it wasn’t like in the movies where the actor opens their eyes and the world is fine.
In reality she thrashed around for 3 days while we anticipated how bad the brain damage was going to be. We were in a small room with room for only one parent to sleep. During this time there was a lot of despair, hopelessness, impatience, visitors and prayer.
When our son made the comment that he wished he was hurt as bad as Jade so that he could be with us, we knew we needed to do something quick.
We got in touch with The Ronald McDonald House, they took us in based off of a donation grant since we didn’t have the money to pay. This grant is possible through the kindness of others; giving donations and volunteering. Not only did they provide us with a hotel quality room with two queen sized beds but they gave us food, toiletries, toys for Brad, and connections to others going through similar situations. We were now on the hospital campus, our son was able to be with us all of the time, we no longer had to spend money on hospital food because we had a kitchen and we had peace of mind that if anything should go wrong we were right across the street. They provided free laundry, video games, and an indescribable sense of compassion from both the staff and other house members.
For the next 3 1/2 weeks we watched our daughter, who couldn’t walk, talk, swallow, and was back in diapers, go through a lot of therapy to regain these simple tasks and more. We’re proud to say that she is now a smart and beautiful young woman; a “typical” 15 year old.
My hope in sharing our story is that you will think of the families staying there tonight, the parents who lost their child but were able to be present until the end, and the families who are and will always be reoccurring guests at The Ronald McDonald House.
The severity of a families’ situation doesn’t matter; the feeling of love and support from the people who donate or work at The Ronald McDonald House is the same. We appreciated what we had during our tribulation and I can only pray that you understand that your Time and Donations absolutely do matter!
You can go to http://www.rmhcoregon.org to learn more.
Johnene Thielen is a local geek, who runs the office at omOriginals Marketing! in Longview. She can be reached at (360)575-9839

Dedicated to a true geek Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Long before I embraced the fact that geeks are cool, I was a fan of the Steves and of Apple.
At our first house I cut down a pine tree and replaced it with an apple tree. It was a McIntosh of course. We then built a pond and named our first 2 fish ‘Steve’ and ‘other Steve’. They were affectionately named after Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
With Steve Jobs at the helm of Apple they have made some amazing products that have shaped the world of computers. I embraced their mantra “think different”.
My first Mac was an 8100 that I bought used from a good friend in college. It (my first Mac) was a year old and so much faster and intuitive than the PC that my dad had bought me months before. The first Mac that Michelle and I purchased together was the original iMac (Bondi Blue).
We’ve enjoyed a few macs over the years, a Grape iMac, The Cube (brilliant machine ahead of it’s time). My first laptop was a titanium Powerbook, I affectionately called it TiBook (Titanium). Somewhere in the mix I picked up a mini, eMac and 3 or so iMacs. Michelle and I currently love our MacBook Pros. Steve was a visionary and a showman. I don’t know how many of his keynote speeches I watched over the Internet. Countless, probably.
Without exception Steve would wear his patented blue jeans and black turtleneck and present the next big thing that would change the computing world. He would sell the future. He would show us brilliantly simple solutions to complex problems.
Whatever he was showing off, he made you want it and feel that you needed it. Steve’s charisma created what has been called the RDF “Reality distortion field”. He had a mesmerizing way to make his passion yours. And being a showman, he truly understood how to do an encore. On special occasions he would finish his presentation, well almost and then he would say, “there is one more thing”.
When he said this, the MacAddicts knew it would be big.
As an innovator not everything they made was a hit. One of my favorite quotes (one that I can’t find anywhere online) is this:
“Good companies make mistakes. Great companies make it right.”
Steve and Apple have been one in the same for so many years. Even after they fired him in 1985, I’ve seen them together. I’ve always appreciated his presence.
Here is a quote that shows what could have been called arrogance (it wasn’t true):
“You know, I’ve got a plan that could rescue Apple. I can’t say any more than that it’s the perfect product and the perfect strategy for Apple. But nobody there will listen to me.” — Fortune, 1995
Well he was right. Steve came back to Apple in 1996 and had an amazing run. Unfortunately, for all us; Steve, his family, and fans Steve lost his battle to cancer this year. He will will be missed. I was looking forward to his next “There is one more thing.”
I hope and believe that Steve will always be in Apple’s DNA. In this way Steve will live on. Let’s finish this quote from Steve that he shared at Stanford when asked to do a commencement speech.
“Do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is love what you do.”
Steve Jobs 1955-2011
Oscar Myre IV is one of the geeks at omOriginals Marketing in Longview, who will miss Steve, and all his quirky greatness. You can reach the local geeks: 575.9839

Honoring R.A. (Pete) Clark Toutle Lake Class of 1933

On August 20, 2011 about 100 members of the Toutle Lake Senior Alumni gathered in the school multi-purpose room for the bi-annual reunion. A pot luck dinner was served, followed by recognition of the attending classes. The classes of 1970 and 1971 were welcomed to their first reunion. The class of 1961 celebrated their fifty year anniversary!
And pictured above is R.A. (Pete) Clark, honored as the oldest attendee. Pete graduated in 1933!
“Boy, I sure wish that I could be in the paper before I die!” exclaimed Pete Clark to columnist Paddy Burrow, of the Valley Bugler newspaper.
Taking that to heart for the 96 year old gentleman, Paddy has offered up this space in her monthly column as a tribute to Pete.
“I’d really like to have his picture printed and give him the joy of seeing himself in the local paper!” said Paddy.
We were only too happy to oblige. Pete – here’s to you, and many more happy Alumni Reunions in the future!
- The Valley Bugler

A bird-man in Antarctica

December 1st @ 7pm
Cowlitz PUD Auditorium
Willapa Hills Audubon Society to host Noah Strycker’s presentation about penguins in Antarctica.
Ice, penguins, and the cold comforts of living and working in Antarctica will be featured in a lively slide show by Oregon birder and author Noah Strycker, 25, at a special meeting of the Willapa Hills Audubon Society. The free one-hour “Among Penguins” event is scheduled for 7:00 pm on Thursday, December 1st at the Cowlitz PUD Auditorium, 961 12th Avenue in Longview.
Strycker spent three months during the Antarctic summer researching and photographing a quarter-million Adélie Penguins. He slept in a tent in below-freezing temperatures, endured howling blizzards, and spent his days in the 24-hour sunshine watching loud, active, and smelly two-foot-tall penguins go about their business nesting, fighting, incubating, waddling, feeding, napping, sliding, diving, and swimming.
Strycker recounts his experiences on the coldest, windiest, driest, least populated, highest, and most remote continent in his new book, Among Penguins: A Bird Man in Antarctica (Oregon State University Press, 2011).
A magna cum laude Oregon State University graduate, Strycker serves as associate editor of the American Birding Association’s Birding magazine, has published photographs and articles in all major birding magazines, has contributed to several books (including “Birds of Oregon: A General Reference” and “Good Birders Don’t Wear White”), and works as a bird researcher in adventurous places around the world.

PUD Senior Fair • Oct. 13th

Thursday, October 13
10:00 to 3:00
John Searing Auditorium
(at the PUD)
Cowlitz PUD is excited to host its first ever Senior Fair, Thursday, October 13 from 10:00 to 3:00 at the John Searing Auditorium at the PUD,  at 961 12th Avenue in Longview..
The event is open to all PUD customers. It will be a chance to join PUD employees and Board members to ask questions about the PUD, its services and about key issues in the electric industry. Refreshments will be served.
The PUD will offer energy conservation information, tips on electrical safety and power outage preparation, and information about qualifying for the Senior Citizen/Disabled Citizen rate discount programs.
CAP representatives will be on hand to make appointments for those who may qualify for a rate discount and also to help with senior health insurance questions. The Department of Emergency Services will also  be there, along with other agencies and senior services. Visitors will find a roomful of helpful information.
Questions can be directed to the PUD main office at (360) 423-2210 or (800) 631-1131.

The cost of raising a child

There have been quotes detailing the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is a far different take on the cost.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn’t even touch college tuition.
However, $160,140 isn’t so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
• $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That’s a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don’t have children if you want to be “rich.” Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* jump in piles of leaves,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, handprints set in clay or Mother’s Day, and cards with backward letters for Father’s Day.
For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* assembling that trampoline,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat to history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you’re lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
The cost of raising a child? It’s priceless.

Anonymous

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