Wear Your Colors Proudly, Ladies!

According to the September issue of LUCKY Magazine, it's no longer considered a faux pas if your nail and toe polish aren't the same color - unless wearing a classic red or a deep wine color.

Check out our selection of O.P.I. and CND Shellac colors and see what fun color combos you come up with!

Walk ins welcome for nail services if time available or call to schedule 770-649-9555.

For a full list of our services, visit us online!

www.gallerysparoswell.com

You get what you give

I read a great quote today by Bernard Bailey off my iGoogle page. It said, "When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it." (Bernard Bailey was an American comic book artist best known as co-creator of the DC Comics characters the Spectre and Hourman, and a comics publisher, writer, and editor - but that's neither here nor there.)

It seems like I've been dealing a lot lately with people who truly think that they are the center of the universe. When did people stop caring about others? This is the thought process that is ruining our world! Just imagine what kind of a world we could create if people became others focused ... it would be the utopia that Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Ghandi and a handful of others dreamed of and eventually died trying to achieve.

People need to stop thinking of themselves as the shiz-nit and start realizing that what will make us great is to take the focus off of ourselves and instead love and serve others. Matthew 20:26b-28 says, "... whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Further Luke 10:25-28 says, "And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? How does it read to you"' And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' And He said to him, 'You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live'."

My personal favorite is the way that Martin Luther King, Jr. said it ... "If you want to be important, wonderful. If you want to be recognized, wonderful. If you want to be great, wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be a servant. That's a new definition of greatness. And this morning the thing that I like about it, by giving that definition of greatness, it means that EVERYBODY CAN BE GREAT BECAUSE EVERYBODY CAN SERVE. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, (and a) soul generated by love and you can be that servant."

We, as followers of Jesus, have been called to LOVE. Love is not selfish. It doesn't put itself first or view itself as better than others. Love is gentle and kind and accommodating and serving and unconditional.

I want to challenge myself to live a life immersed in LOVE. Let me speak it, read it, talk about it, seek it out, surround myself with it and most importantly live it. If I want to be great, if I want to change the world, if I want to make a lasting difference in the cosmos - there is only one thing I must do - LIVE LOVE.

It is what I put out into the world that defines who I am. So that begs the question, who am I and what do I want to be remembered for? When the history books are written, I want them to say "Alicia Benton loved."

30 is the new black

May 26th is a very important day. Thirty years ago a today my best friend was born. The impact that he's made on me alone is worth writing about, but if you know him, he's no doubt touched your life and heart as well. He has an ability to see the best in people, even when those qualities are very difficult to find - he doesn't give up - and he loves with every ounce of his being.

Drew, you inspire me to love, to grow, to not accept failure. You have helped me become a better person. You extend yourself to everyone that you come into contact with, regardless of any of the things that would keep "normal" people from involving themselves. You have touched more people with your kind presence and since of brotherhood than one can count. Who you are is a rare treasure indeed and I love you so very deeply! I thank God for you everyday and I can't wait to see what the next 30 years of your life brings!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!

Already??

Today Drew, Aven and I attended the end of the year award ceremony at Emma's school, Bolton Academy. I can NOT believe that first grade is over!! Ahhhhh. Where did the time go?!

Emma got several awards, the Accelerated Reader Award, Honor Roll Award and some award for highest class GPA.

When the bus pulled up at the end of our driveway this afternoon, she about fell off the bus because she was so excited to show me her trophy. She was screaming, "I got my very first trophy!" Her excitement about life is so contagious.

I'm so very proud of you Emma! You are brilliant and you surprise me more and more everyday!!

Sweet Emma is 7!!

As of today, I officially feel like I'm getting old. Today my sweet princess Emma turned seven! Yep, you heard me correctly. S-E-V-E-N. It really feels like it was just last month that we found out we were pregnant. My pregnancy with Emma was completely the opposite of the one with Aven. Emma was very, very unexpected! We were 21 and had only been married for 6 months. Kids were no where on our radar. But life never seems to happen the way we expect, and in this for instance, we're so glad for the redirection.

Although I had pretty bad morning sickness, once I was past that, things couldn't have gone more smoothly. I was 10 days over due when she finally decided it was time. My labor with her looked just like in the movies - I was completely fine and then at 11 pm, POP! WHOOSH! And the contractions hit like a freight train, one right on top of the other. I was ready to go to the hospital by 8 the next morning. I had zoomed to almost 8 by the time we arrived. And then things started to fall apart - our midwife became so aggressive and hostile that my labor completely stopped. My friend and doula called it mother bear syndrome. Long, painful story short, I ended up electing to have a c-section in order to get away from my awful doctors. I just wanted to meet Emma and all these crazy people were keeping me from seeing her sweet face.

Finally at 2:13 am on April 26, 2002, Emma Mallory Benton made her grand entry weighing 10 lbs 2 ozs and was 22 1/2 inches long! Wow, right!?! I fell in love the second I saw her perfect, scrunchie face and that thick black head of hair.

Emma has grown into such an amazing little person. She's loving, sweet, kind-hearted and a free spirit. She's so creative and imaginative that we call her version of reality "Emma-world". She's also completely impulsive. She brings so much liveliness along with her. Life is definitely never dull when Emma is involved.

She's my first born. The one who's had to endure the learning curve of first time parenthood. She's such a joy. Here are some of my favs over the years ...

You are my Sunshine, My only Sunshine.

Three years ago today we were blessed with the birth of our second daughter, Aven Ray Benton. She's my little Sunshine - if you know her, then you know why we call her that. She's a gift we never thought we'd get to enjoy ...

We were the proud parents of Emma but we wanted to add a sibling to the family for her (and us). We tried to conceive for almost two years. During that time we learned that I have PCOS and that without fertility treatments (which we could not afford) the odds of us having another baby were pretty much nil. I was devastated. I took a long bath the day we found out that news. I cried and prayed and came to terms with the fact that we had more than we could have imagined with Emma. So I decided to let go of my dream of another child and simply put all of my focus on Emma. Little did I know, I was already pregnant!

We made the choice early on not to find out the sex of baby #2. We also kept the names we had picked for the baby secret from everyone. My pregnancy went pretty much perfectly. My due date came and went, just like with Emma.

On April 14th I started contracting. Such a different labor than the 0-60 mph one I had with Emma - this labor was slow. By the morning of the 15th I couldn't take laboring at home any more so we headed to the hospital. After over 30 hours of labor, I had my second c-section. The surgeon, nurses and Drew and I were all taking bets in the delivery room as to what the sex was. I will never forget when the surgeon pulled her out and said, "It's a girl!" I shouted, "We have an Aven!!"

Aven Ray Benton was born on April 16, 2006 (Easter morning). She was exactly what this family needed - we are now perfectly balanced.

Aven's our resident drama queen and comedian all wrapped into one. She's so particular and expressive and has these baby blues that could melt a heart of stone. She's a princess and she reminds us of that fact every day. I am so blessed to have her in my life!

Here are some of my favorite picutres of my Sunshine ...

Card Me

Check out this organization and see how you can help the needy with the $2.00 left on the random gift card in your wallet.

jeffshinabarger.com

Small gesture, Huge impact

Homeless man, Ansley Park neighbors strike deal

Life looking up for man who lived under tree in Winn Park for 10 years

By MARK DAVIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

He lived under a tree at Winn Park. He’d been there a decade, long enough that people living near the Midtown park knew him — Jake Compton, the homeless guy in the sleeping bag.

He did the occasional odd job, accepted handouts. He was a reminder that life isn’t always easy, or fair.

For 10 years, Rodney Jacques Compton has slept in a sleeping bag in Winn Park in the Ansley Park neighborhood.

Compton has been working to clean the pond at Winn Park after being hired by the Ansley Park Neighborhood Association. He’s saved some money and may soon have a place to move into.

Jerry Attkisson worried about Compton. Was he warm enough? Did he have enough to eat?

In June, the 67-year-old retired real estate investor was tired of worrying. He approached Compton with a proposition: If Compton would distribute mulch around the park, Attkisson would pay him $2 for every pile the homeless man moved and spread out. Deal, said Compton.

That summer, a range of new hills spread across the park — 25 piles here, 50 there. It was as if a giant mole kept popping out of the ground, leaving huge mounds in its wake.

Attkisson kept his part of the bargain, regularly paying, “but it was getting kind of expensive.”

He wrote 200 other families who live near the park, asking if they would help create a fund that would beautify their park and get a man back on his feet. About 40 households responded with an average $100 donation — $4,000 in all. Compton worked through the rest of the year. The piles, and his savings, grew.

Now, Compton, 48, is helping clean the pond at Winn Park. He’s got a bank account, a cell phone, and his eye on a nice little place on Piedmont Avenue. He’s been on the street for 10 years, following “family problems.”

“I’ve met some nice people,” said Compton, who moved to Atlanta 33 years ago from Griffin. “Hopefully, things are looking up for me.”

These days, Attkisson and Compton occasionally dine together. They talk about books; “Same Kind Of Different As Me,” a novel about people from markedly different backgrounds, had a particular resonance. They talk about families, about a decade in a sleeping bag. They are linked by their park, their humanity. They are friends.

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This is what it's all about folks. You don't need to rearrange your life or sell everything you own. You don't even have to inconvenience yourself. All you have to do is be willing to open your eyes to see what's going on around you. This man's small gesture has made a huge impact not only on the life a homeless man, but on his community as a whole. In these financially trying times, no one expects for you to go broke trying to save the world ... so why not instead simply try to help improve the life of just one ... you'll be so surprised to see the ripple effect in your community.

Kindness will help the Economy

KINDNESS WILL HELP ECONOMY, HOMELESS WOMAN'S RESCUER SAYS

Acts of kindness will help pull the nation through its economic crisis, according to the woman who came to the rescue of a homeless Floridian who publicly appealed to President Obama.

Henrietta Hughes, and Chene Thompson talk on the lawn of the home Thompson is letting Hughes use.

Chene Thompson, the wife of state Rep. Nicholas Thompson, R-Fort Myers, is letting Henrietta Hughes and her son stay in a house she owns in nearby La Belle rent free until they get back on their feet.

"You don't have to be a politician to put forth a stimulus package," Chene Thompson said during a joint interview with Hughes Thursday on CNN's "American Morning." "This is our own little mini-stimulus package for a person who was a stranger and now is a friend.

"Anybody can help anybody at any time. It doesn't need to be something that comes from Washington; it can come from your own home and from your heart, even if it's for a little bit."

Hughes emerged from the crowd at Tuesday's town hall meeting in Fort Myers to tell Obama she and her son were living in a car and needed immediate help. The president asked her name, kissed her on the cheek and promised his staff would work with her. Watch Hughes' emotional plea to Obama »

Thompson, who was in the audience, stepped forward afterward to offer Hughes her vacant house, which the Thompsons had to leave because it is outside her husband's legislative district.

"She was sincere and direct and to the point, and she needed help," Thompson said. "And it actually touched me and I started to tear up and I started to cry. ... It sort of broke my heart."

Hughes feels "overwhelming gratitude," she told CNN in the front yard of the house, "because no one would do that."

"Oh, yes they would! Yes they would!" Thompson interjected, wrapping an arm around Hughes' shoulders. "I was just in the right place at the right time." Both women beamed.

The house has remained unsold in southwest Florida's depressed market, Thompson said. She continues to be responsible for paying the mortgage, property taxes, insurance and utilities, so it benefits her to have someone occupying it to keep it from becoming run-down, she said.

According to the White House, the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation last year, with 12 percent of housing units receiving a foreclosure-related notice.

Median housing prices in the Fort Myers metropolitan area have plummeted from $322,000 in December 2005 to less than $107,000 in December 2008, the Obama administration said.

Nearly 12,000 jobs have been lost in Fort Myers in the past year.

White House spokesman Joshua Earnest said Wednesday that the administration connected Hughes with local housing officials in the crowd.

On Wednesday, the head of the local housing authority, Marcus Goodson, said he met with Hughes and is working on finding her a subsidized housing unit with a short waiting time.

Hughes on Thursday urged Congress to approve legislation to deal with the housing crisis.

"If that would pass, that would help many other -- hundreds and thousands of -- low-income persons to receive housing," she said.

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There was a time in our nation's history where it was neighbors and the church that would bring aid to their fellow man. In this time of such economic uncertainty the only thing that can be counted on is the fact that our government already has their hands full! We need to get back to this kind of thinking ... neighbors helping neighbors ... people helping people. We've relied on our government enough. One simple act of kindness will mean more than you can imagine.

Isn't it time we lean on one another to get us through?

The Bible is not a weapon, folks

I am about to go way out on a limb here. I can only imagine what's going to be said about me after this post but honestly, I'm not trying to seek anyone's approval. And for my churched friends, let me preface this by saying that I have studied my bible and spent time in prayer about this subject and I have also spent a large amount of time in the gay community ... all of which has led me to my stance on this subject. So, at the risk of great ridicule, I would like to say that I am not opposed to gay marriage.

Now, give me a chance to elaborate ...

I believe that the way that God views marriage and the way that government views marriage are very different. I understand that the way God describes marriage in the bible is between a man and a woman. But God also describes marriage as a spiritual covenant made between those two individuals and God. (And just as a reminder, the bible condones plural marriage - something that we as a society have chosen to make illegal.)

That being said, I also believe that marriage as we see it today is something very different. It is a legally binding contract entered into by two consenting, non-related individuals of legal age in their state who are contracting to combine their lives, and as a result are granted certain benefits for their commitment - such as the right to inherit, tax benefits, health benefits, etc.

Now, here's where I'm going to stretch you ... the bible also states that God is love and love is of God. I believe that anywhere you find love, you find God because the one can not exist without the other. If two men or two women share love, then whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, that is from God and of God. 1 John 4: 16 says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." Just because the church interprets the bible in such a way as to believe that God does not condone a spiritual covenant between two people of the same sex does not mean that those two individuals should not receive the same legal benefits as a heterosexual couple would receive. A lifetime commitment is a lifetime commitment. People are people and should be treated as equals ... regardless of race, sexuality, social or economic background.

We, as Christians, need to stop hopping up onto our soap boxes all the time and realize that love is of God, regardless of whether you understand it or not and that contractual marriage between two people does not mean that God views them as married - whether they are gay or straight.

We can not share Christ with people if they think that we hate them. We are making a mockery of God and using His words to serve our own agendas. The bible is not a weapon people ... it's a love letter.

Do we really want to continue to allow God to be the butt of the jokes? Do we really want to continue to be viewed as close-minded bigots who will use God as an excuse to be a-holes? The only way that we can affectively reach the world is through the power of LOVE.

Let's take back the idea of what it is to be a Christian and give it a positive meaning because I, for one, am tired of being viewed like this ...

Imagine all the people

On Sunday Drew and I attended Courageous Church. We had been invited to represent SafeHouse Outreach because the pastor,
Shaun King, was speaking on poverty. At beginning of the service they showed a video that I haven't been able to stop thinking about and I wanted to share it with you.

Be prepared ... it will get your wheels turning ... What if the world were made up of only 100 people ...

No Greater Love ...

I was laying in my bed this morning with Aven sitting next to me watching Handy Manny. The warmth of my covers was way to good to get out of bed so I grabbed my phone and started reading the news off CNN mobile. I stumbled across an article that brought me to tears ... not that crying over the news these days would be abnormal, but this story was different. It was about LOVE ... beautiful, innocent, desperate love ... Christ like love ...

Teen attempts suicide to give liver to dying father

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A 13-year-old Chinese girl tried to commit suicide because she wanted her family to donate her liver to her cancer-stricken father, state media reported Thursday.

The girl, Chen Jin, swallowed more than 200 sleeping pills after she discovered a medical note in her mother's purse that said her father was dying of liver cancer and had three months left to live, the news agency Xinhua said.

Jin's mother returned home after visiting her husband in the hospital to find the front door locked. The mother climbed in through a back window and found two empty bottles of sleeping pills.

"Mom, I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you any longer," read a note that the teen had left next to her. "Please give my liver to dad and save him after my death."

The incident occurred January 24 in Jiangsu province in east China. The teen was taken to the same hospital as her father, where she remains in intensive care, drifting in and out of consciousness, Xinhua said.

Doctors say that even if she pulls through, she will need surgery for burns she suffered from an electric blanket on her bed when she lost consciousness, the China Daily newspaper said.

According to Chinese media reports, the family -- whose monthly income is about 1,000 yuan ($146) -- has already spent nearly 100,000 yuan ($14,600) in medical expenses since the father was diagnosed with cancer more than a month ago. The mother, who is also in poor health, retired early more than eight years ago.

The woman told China Daily she is now trying to keep her husband from learning of their daughter's desperate act of love.

Updated 3:45 a.m. EST, Thu February 5, 2009

John 15:12-13 says, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (NIV)

When was the last time that you loved someone so much that you were prepared to give up your own life for theirs? Let's be honest here folks ... when's the last time that you loved someone enough to even inconvenience yourself? Love is not simply a word ... Love requires action. It's not love if you have to "fit it in".

Love is what motivates me. I challenge you to let yourself be motivated by love today ... beautiful, innocent, desperate love ... Christ like love ...

MLK, Jr. Day

When you visit the website for The King Center you are greeted by audio of Martin Luther King, Jr. This clip contains one of my all time favorite quotes. Dr. King says ... "If you want to be important, wonderful. If you want to be recognized, wonderful. If you want to be great, wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be a servant. That's a new definition of greatness. And this morning the thing that I like about it, by giving that definition of greatness, it meas that EVERYBODY CAN BE GREAT BECAUSE EVERYBODY CAN SERVE. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, (and a) soul generated by love and you can be that servant."

Wow.

Those words have been a huge inspiration to both myself and Drew. Those words are one of the things that fuel why we do what we do ... but that's something to dive into another day ...

The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday was created to bring honor to the life that he lived and the service that drove him and ultimately ended his life. He was truly an amazing man. He was great ... because he was a servant. In that theme, SafeHouse holds a day of service on MLK day every year. We go into neighborhoods that most people pretend do not exist for the sole purpose of showing them love and friendship.

Yesterday we went to Forest Cove Apartments on the west side of Atlanta. These apartments are located directly next door to the Federal Prison. It looked like a TuPac video ... hoopties rolling by, dealers congregating on the street corners, very young children wondering around alone. I say that just to paint a picture of the neighborhood we were in.

We rolled in with our tents, mobile medical unit, bounce house, hand-up services, entertainment and groceries (compliments of Convoy of Hope). The day went off without a hitch! It was a beautiful day of blacks and whites, rich and poor, urban and suburban, young and old, police and dealers just being people hanging with people. The walls were down, smiles were on, fun was had by all. It was a fitting tribute to my personal hero, Martin Luther King, Jr.

To me, that's what it's all about ... people ... people loving and serving and just being real. I'm so grateful that I got to be a part of such an amazing day!

Hope you enjoy these pictures and can get a glimpse of why we do what we do ...