Hi, everyone.

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. Thought I'd take my lunch break and put something up.

Thank you all for your kind words, your support, and your thoughts and prayers during this ick month. I used to love the month of June; not so much anymore.

I've got a lot on my mind and I wanted to try to write it out ... we'll see how it goes. Probably going to be another one of those streams of consciousness.

It's been a sad week for Hollywood. Three big superstars lost forever.

Ed McMahon. My daD was a big Tonight Show with Johnny Carson fan, so I can remember hearing "Heeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny" from a very young age. Of course, I was also a big fan of Star Search. He was a huge entertainer, and had his hand in just about everything.

Farrah Fawcett. I'm not sure there's anyone around my age that wasn't a huge Charlie's Angels fan. I stuck with that show, even through all the cast changes. But, Farrah was the original Angel, in my opinion. I watched her special last month on her journey with anal cancer. I feel that was an incredibly courageous thing to share with the world. She brought a lot of awareness to what people REALLY go through, and I will always appreciate her most for that. I feel bad that Michael Jackson's death has overshadowed hers, but I know she'll be honored and always remembered.

Michael Jackson. Wow. This one affected me more than I thought. I know everyone has hugely varying opinions on the King of Pop, but no matter how you feel about his escapades later in life, there's no doubt he is my generation's biggest icon. The music and art he inspired over the years is immeasurable.

I remember when Elvis died. I was 7 years old, and in Germany visiting my grandparents. It was the day of my brother's 11th birthday, and even in Germany the death was huge, huge, huge news. I think that now I understand Elvis's generation's feelings on that day.

Michael was my "Elvis", for sure. I was a fan. A big one. I never went so far as to wear a sequined glove, but I probably would have if I owned one. lol ... I knew all the dance moves to Thriller, and can remember coming home after school, putting his albums on the turntable and jamming full-blast until my daD got home and made me turn it down. (Or, until the neighbors complained lol.)

When I heard yesterday that he'd died, it was surreal. It's still surreal, really. His legacy will, of course, live on forever.

So, the deaths of this triumvirate really got me thinking.

It amazes me how the country (the WORLD, for that matter) can be brought to a screeching halt at the news of a superstar's death. MJ is a big one, for sure, and I know that the coverage will go on for months. I'm sure we'll be hearing of "Michael spottings" for decades to come, as well. Famous people do seem to die in threes, and this was definitely a BIG three. The news coverage isn't surprising, and I know many will disagree with me, but I don't think it's 100% unwarranted.

It makes me wonder, though ... what would happen if SIX big celebrities DIED EVERY SINGLE DAY? News organizations wouldn't have enough bandwidth to cover it all. There would be 24/7 coverage, nightly worldwide candlelight vigils, and never-ending documentaries on the lives and losses of Hollywood's elite.

What makes celebrities more important than our children? To me, it's a no-brainer ... six children dying from childhood cancer every single day TOTALLY trumps the occasional three-in-a-row celebrity death. Do these stars deserve the accolades? OF COURSE they do! All I am saying is that I don't understand why (or how) our kids can't get even a fraction of the media attention.

We'll never know what some of these children may have grown up to do or become. I'd like to think that Jessica was going places. I don't think she'd have had a spot in Hollywood, but I do feel she could have made a huge impact in the literary world. How can we know what Jessica, Kasey, Alexa, Cameron, Jacob, Stevie, Aimee, Josh, Nora, Henry, Tyler, Jeaneane, Adam, Brenna, Stefan, Dakota, Matthew, Lazaro, Coleman, Julian, Katie, Shelby, Caleb, and so so so many others would have grown up to accomplish?

We can daydream about it, and make our own stories up in our heads, but we'll never know, unfortunately.

Anyway ... Yea ... somehow, somewhere, someday, our kids will hopefully get the same attention in the media as the superstars.

On another note, I have some other things to share.

I am SOOOO happy that I made myself venture into DC last Sunday to meet a bunch of PAC2 folks!! We had SUCH a great time. Several times during the day I thought I was going to chicken out. But, I didn't and it was well worth the drive and the traffic!! :) I posted some pictures on Facebook (same drill ... you don't have to have a Facebook account to see these pics): Click here ... For some reason the public links for Facebook photos don't have navigation, which is incredibly annoying. If you have a Facebook account, you'll have navigation ... If you don't, you'll have to click on each photo to see it bigger. :( Sorry.

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the 2 days on Capitol Hill for Reach The Day. I am SO thankful to all the amazing families who came from all over the country to make sure our representatives knew how serious we are about making sure our kids' stories are HEARD!

You can read more about Reach The Day on the CureSearch website.

Speaking of Facebook, I also uploaded all of my Wall Of Courage pieces (photos & facts). I had to split them into 2 albums because you can only have 200 pics per album. I'm still working on updating wallofcourage.com with a new video and new layout, etc. ... But for the time-being, I've put them up here.

Click here to see the kids.

Click here to see the facts.

I've got some other things I wanted to share, but I think this has gotten long enough. It'll hold until next time. :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Randall out.

Please visit this link for very important information regarding the National Childhood Brain Tumor Prevention Network Act of 2009, and what YOU can do to help!!

PS—Don’t forget: Please pray for these BT warriors!!! (click for list)
PPS—CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST TEAM UNITE UPDATE.
PPPS—Visit Jessica's virtual candle, and light one if you are in the mood. :)

Team Unite 2009 Calendars Still Available!

Brain Tumor Awareness Gear Still Available!