Blogging Basics II, Blissdom '10 Conference Recap

Blissdom '10 Conference Recap, Part II.

So you've been blogging awhile and you're thinking about concentrating your blog, focusing on one thing -- finding your “niche.” Many bloggers are “niche” bloggers and often those are the most commonly read blogs. Let me issue a small word of caution: before starting or converting your current blog, ask yourself these questions I gathered from a session at Blissdom.

Finding Your Niche:

• Which posts make you nervous when you publish

• Which feel like drudgery

• Which do you receive the most comments

• Which comments mean the most to you

• What are your top favorite posts that you've written

• What can you be excited about and remain passionate about 2, 3, 5 years down the road.

For me, the final question seems to be the most important. Passion is such a vital part of any blog. Loyalty is probably second to passion. If you gather a following, you don't want to let them down 3 years into it. It's fairly easy to write a blog for a year. It's a whole 'nother ballgame to keep on doing it when the novelty wears off. Picking a niche makes endurance a lot harder.
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Well there you go. Take some time to answer the questions and ponder your answers. There are so many blogs out there and so little time, readers are sparse and fickle. I'd encourage you to think hard about why you want to blog.

• If it's for yourself, to complete you or fulfill you, jump right in.

• If it's for others, to inform them or help them, take your time and strategize a little. It'll pay off.

Good luck and happy writing!

This info. came from a session brought by the following: Audrey McClelland (Mom Generations),Rachel Matthews- (A Southern Fairytale), Sommer Poquette (Green and Clean Mom), Jennifer Schmidt (Balancing Beauty and Bedlam), Nester Smith(The Nesting Place), Heather Solos (Home Ec 101).

Elderly Couple Living The Resilient Life

This video, a year old, recently resurfaced and is making the rounds again. I love it. I want to be them when I grow up. Thanks to an alert reader for sending this in.
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The story goes..... Married 62 years, this couple came in the Mayo clinic and played the piano while waiting for their appointments....

You are You: Taking Personal Branding to the Next Level

"You are you, that's truer than true. There is no one alive that is Youer than You." - Dr. Seuss.

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The best thing that social media has birthed with its ideology of personal branding is the affirmation of Dr. Seuss' theory of life: Be Who You Are. Not only that, but embrace it, who you are is perfect.
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The joy and energy generated by total authenticity & transparency is what I saw in these ladies in Atlanta. That is what I found so attractive. They are having a blast being who they are and that, my friend, will draw a crowd.
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Days later I found this post "What Belly Dancing Taught Me about Personal Branding," brought to my attention by @CopyBlogger, who never fails to grab my attention. The article, by Lisa Barone, points out what many businesses and bloggers have figured out the hard way: "build your brand on being your favorite version of yourself." I think most companies are finally getting this and for that, I thank social media.
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So Lisa Barone takes us a step further than Dr. Seuss, she advises "creating a persona that mixes who you are and who you want to be." Don't just be yourself, be your best version. I think Dr. Seuss might put it this way: "You are You, that's truer than true, courageously do what you love and be the You we never Knew." OK, maybe not. I think he'd say it a lot simpler.
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Barone continues, "Finding your voice and using it to be relatable is what will make or break your personal brand. It’s what separates the brands we love from the brands we wish would die..... Figure out what the real you sounds like, and then use that voice to be real with others. You can’t fake this."

These guys - Pappas Grille - are a great example. I have no benefit to naming them, received nothing, don't even know them, but I love what they're doing and I can't wait to visit them.

Now, don't go copy Pappas Grille or anyone else, just go out there and be yourself -- You are you, isn't that nice?!

Blogging Basics I, Blissdom '10 Conference Recap

So I'm sitting down in a dark, crowded restaurant trying to corral the many, many things I learned at the Blissdom Blogger's conference. Currently, I have two personal blogs and I blog for two companies and I write in other forms (articles, emails) for three more companies. That's a lot of plates in the air. Too many perhaps. But I think there are a lot of bloggers out there just like me, little fish in big ponds trying to swim way too fast.

Hence the conference.

I was drawn to the conference for three reasons:

• Leveraging social media
• Meeting and picking the brains of blogging gurus like Liz Strauss, Susan Getgood and the unstoppable Alli Worthington
• Meeting and hugging Pensieve Robin (who got carried away with Elmers Glue and made several of us a special bookmark, very cool)
  

While the social media classes didn't fulfill all my dreams and give my customers 1000 fans on facebook with a flip of the wand, they did provoke me into action. The classes gave me a lot to think about and several clear-cut directives to act upon. So I packed my laptop & headed to my favorite wing place where I'm now trouble-shooting social media strategy for various customers. I think a sparkle and ting noise just went off in my eye as ideas began to form.

Two constant Messages from Blissdom:

1. Be yourself.

2. Have a Strategy.

Be yourself.

• Passion. Write about what you are passionate about.

• Don't Monitor. You can use google alert to monitor others, but it can be stressful. Kind of like policing the internet. There are going to be competitors and copycats. Don't waste your time and energy, play your own game.

• Edit, edit edit. ('cause sometimes “yourself” is hormonally directed)

• Your writing reflects on you -- Once its out there, it's there. No take backs.

• If someone else's post inspires you to write a post, link back to it.

• Be careful with snarky humor. You might want to speak to those people someday. Complain to your friend, not on your blog.

Strategy:

• Does it add value to you or the reader?

• Has it been discussed too many times elsewhere?

• Does it ramble?

• Does it resonate with readers?

• Be respectful. Ask family members if they want their lives out there. This stuff is out there forever. Will your kids mind having it there in ten years?

• Is this something you could say to your readers face-to-face? If not, don't write it.

This is an overview of the basic message I got from the Blissdom Conference. I hope to write a few more posts about some other hints and ideas I received. Stay tuned.

I heard most of this from a session led by the following: Emily Freeman (Chatting at the sky), Amber Haines (The Run Amuck), Isabel Kallman (Alpha Mom), Deb Rox (Deb on the Rocks)

Atlanta Botanical Garden

I love late February in the South. You might find snow one week and sun-filled warm days the next week. Littered along Ponce De Leon were snowman remnants, a muddy contrast to the sparkling sky and cheery warmth all around us. Debra and I decided it was the perfect day to visit the Gardens.

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Against our concierge's advice, we hit the streets of downtown and walked to the Gardens, a 3-mile hilly walk. We both were unaccustomed to the exercise and unprepared for the heat with our sweaters, jackets and fur-lined Crocs.

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We had a laborious, dull walk through the city before we stumbled upon a quaint neighborhood on Piedmont leading us into trendy Midtown - Piedmont and 10th and beyond. The street was suddenly adorned by gorgeous houses and people walking babies or dogs.

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Hot and incredibly thirsty, we thought we were on our last step when we finally found Piedmont Park.

The Botanical Gardens are at the far end of the park, so we knew we were close. Piedmont Park was inviting. Everyone was enjoying this sudden taste of Spring, biking, jogging, playing frisbee. The park reminded me of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco where I once got seriously lost on a bicycle. You can rent bikes here, too, at Piedmont and skates as well. If you visit the area, do it! Right outside the park is a place called Willies where apparently all the young locals gather on Saturday afternoons, it was packed. We were so thirsty and so tired, but kept trudging along, denying the call of Willies and the bikes.

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The Botanical Garden cost $15 per adult to get in, we used our AAA discount and got in for $13. We dragged our weary, worn-out, sweaty selves into the cool building and were greeted by the greeter. We discussed our hot walk and exhaustion and desire for water. He failed to tell us a water fountain was right upstairs and instead directed us to the closed Cafe', a walk up a hill. We were perplexed at the Cafe' - it closed 2 hours before the Gardens close. Debra sat at the table in the one chair that had shade while I went in search of water, feeling much like a pioneer. In the Day Hall I found the Camellia Show and was sidetracked for a minute.
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It was here they told me the Cafe was closed, but there was a water fountain right outside the door. I ran back and grabbed Debra and we limped to the water fountain. Guess what? It didn't work. We marvelled that there weren't drink machines throughout the park, why not? We walked through the Camellia Show and enjoyed it, but seriously thought about popping some flowers out and drinking water from the vase.
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The layout of the Garden is beautiful, everything is spread out with nice walkways. A lot of it was dormant, sleeping away the Winter, but it was very relaxing. We sat in the sun by the fountain and I let Mr. Frog read me a frightening story before we soldiered on.

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We passed through the Great Lawn with it's nice view of Atlanta's sky scrapers. The Japanese Garden and Rose Garden weren't much to look at in February. Coming Soon: Edible Garden and Canopy Walkway.
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We entered the Gardens Under Glass and things came alive. The splended leaf frog greeted us at the door and guess what we finally found? A working water fountain! I felt like an animal that had trudged through the dessert to the rain forest and could finally lap up some cold water. We guzzled. I have photos, but they're not flattering.

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We entered the humid rooms and these plants above threatened to eat us alive. Following my brother's bear advice, I made sure I wasn't the last body fleeing, leaving Debra behind me.

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I found this plant -- I thought it was very cool. It's a Nepenthes or "Monkey Cup," a plant monkeys drink water from. Also called "Pit of Doom." This is a carnivore, people, it eats insects and small mammals. Again, I let Debra follow me out:
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As we progressed we saw some cocoa pods, YUM, and some vanilla trees. Debra discovered this plant in the Africa exhibit and determined this must be where toothpicks come from:

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We left the African exhibit and went into the Rain Forest which was very, very cool, like a maze. We wandered through until we found an exit and then we headed to the main attraction: Orchid Daze: Vertical Gardens (Feb. 6 - April 11)
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Orchids of unbelivable colors, everywhere! Oh - and a wedding, I don't want to forget, there was a wedding just outside the Orchid exhibit with a violin and pianist. Nice.

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"Experience towering columns and walls dripping with brilliant orchids... Exotic beauties soar with lush green and silver foliage to create stunning living mosaics. 'People are accustomed to looking down on smaller plants like orchids -- to thinking of gardens as floral carpets,' says show designer Tres Fromme of Mesa Design Group. 'This year, the carpets climb the walls and become vibrant wallpapers and flowing banners....'"
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The orchids were fantastic. Here's Debra enjoying some rest and probably wishing she could drink that pool behind her. Look at her face - you can see it: "I want a drink, Val, I just want a lousy drink."

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You can visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden online for event schedules and more information.

America's Got Talent 2010 Atlanta GA

I apologise for my inferior work. I was totally unprepared, this opportunity just fell into my lap while I was in Atlanta. America's Got Talent was auditioning right across the street from us and I just couldn't resist chatting with a few of them.....
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Atlanta, GA Overview

"Atlanta is mysterious."

Debra and I came down here for a weekend of relaxation. She had her quarterly checkup at Emory and we stopped by Jimmy's daughter's salon, beside Emory, to get updated looks for the big city, then we checked into the Marriott downtown for some serious R&R. (yes, that's my paper by the usable phone at Ted's Montana Grill where we stopped for some rest mid-afternoon)
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The next morning, sipping coffee and gazing out our 6th story window, Debra pronounced the city mysterious. She was referring to it's elusive quality, it's reserve. You have to pursue her, you have to work hard to find her hidden charms.
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Chicago is out there -- you don't have to look hard for a good time, she's bold and assertive, offering herself up to you quite willingly. Los Angeles is undemanding, available, free - what you see is what you get, whatever you are is perfectly fine, be free. Boston is discreet, a lady. She's all charm, manners and history at first glance. You have to dig deeper to get to know any other aspect of her, she's not cheap.
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But Atlanta, yes, Debra, Atlanta is mysterious. She leaves you scratching your head and saying "What??" Or, as Eva says, "What the World??!" You have to peel back layers, spend some time to get to know her, navigate vague maps, wander large, empty buildings. She has something for everyone, but you might not find it. You have to get to know her and work hard for her favors. She's like the smart, plain girl, full of interesting possibilities and personality if you just take the time to get to know her.
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In the next few days I hope to get some posts written about some of Atlanta's hidden charms. But for now.... I must hit the streets. She beckons.

A Social Commentary from Curious George

Thanks to an alert reader for bringing this to my attention.
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My father read fairy tales to me in this same exact tone and accent and with the same satirical political commentary. I never thought anyone else in the whole world would do that, but here it is:

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat: The Movie

Eva and I recently saw Alec Berg's 03 movie version of Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat (featuring the ever adorable Dakota Fanning!!). The movie was creative and artistic and fun, but I really don't recommend it. The crude humor and double entendres would probably make Dr. Seuss roll over in his grave. That's not how Dr. Seuss cultivated children's entertainment. In this adaptation, the characters are fascinatingly exaggerated, almost making the movie a spoof. Mike Myers makes the cat a curious mixture of lazy self-indulgence and philanthropy, maddeningly provocative for the viewer. The visuals are excellent, incredibly creative and fun, but the storyline strangely excludes Dr. Seuss' rhymes. Why have Dr. Seuss without the rhymes? I found that peculiar. And sad.

Redneck Snowday Part II

When all the snow melted...... poor car.... we busted a belt or something.

More Redneck Snowdays in the South

Even More Redneck Snowdays in the South

Henrietta Lacks and the Informed Consent Debate

Suddenly, Henrietta Lacks has been making the news, making the rounds among talk shows, hip magazines, blogs. The thing is: Henrietta Lacks is dead. She died in 1951. So I wondered how is it that a woman who died 59 years ago is suddenly popular today? It's a book, of course. A new book chronicling The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, her life and her “most eventful afterlife.” I'll say. I can only hope for such an eventful afterlife.

Henrietta experienced health problems for many, many years prior to her diagnosis of cancer. The poor woman was in denial, continually thinking things would get better. What on earth would make cancer symptoms stand out from various Sexually Transmitted Diseases back in a day when STD's weren't talked about? So Henrietta kept her mouth shut and suffered in silence, thinking she was a good wife.

When Mrs. Lacks finally found a doctor and was diagnosed with cervical cancer, she continued in the same fashion – denial, secrecy and optimism. Eventually she shared the news and ended up at Johns Hopkins, where an enterprising young Dr. took some extra cells from Henrietta, without her knowledge. He had been doing this to other patients in hopes of having cells survive in which he could sell to research and development, but all the cells would eventually die. In a stroke of fate Henrietta's cells wouldn't die. In fact, they reproduced at a shocking rate. And still, the good Dr. kept it all a secret from Henrietta. She struggled through her cancer treatments and cancer aggressiveness and died, probably a painful death, within the year.

In 1951, doctors were just beginning to see genetic links to diseases like Down Syndrome. Amniocentesis for genetic disease was just starting to make the scene. Henrietta's cells, now called “HeLa” were extraordinarily beneficial to all kinds of research in genetic medicine. By 1954, 3 years after Henrietta's death, her cells were now being sold for profit, not just for good old research. Henrietta's cells were being used, successfully, in many scientific
endeavors that we benefit from today. The world has medically benefited tremendously from Henrietta's cells.

In 1966, a patient was unwittingly injected with Henrietta's cells in an effort to monitor how cancer spreads. This led to medical review boards and informed consent laws.

By 1986, scientists are infecting HeLa cells with HIV to study how HIV spreads and thereby identifying a key receptor.

Today HeLa cells aren't the only ones being used. We now have MCF 7 (69 year old woman), VERO (African Green Monkey), JURKAT (14 year old boy), HEK-293 (Human Embryo), HT-29 (44 year old woman), and LNCAP (50-year old man). All being used for research that most likely will help your grandchildren fight a deadly disease.

What do you think about this? Does Henrietta's family deserve some money? Was it worth it to violate her personal rights in order to make so much progress in fighting diseases? Does the end justify the means?

Read more on this subject: Smithsonian, Virology, Johns Hopkins story,

Snowday!

Valentine's Dinner at Waffle House

This just in:

VIEW VIDEO

Wondering if my husband has made our reservations yet???

Give a Day, Get a Disney Day

This was brought to my attention by an alert reader. Disney is offering a free day of Disney Theme Park fun for free - if you first give a day of volunteer service to a participating organization. Give A Day, Get A Disney Day.
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Just click here to search for an eligible volunteer project. After completing the volunteer work, an e-mail will be sent from Disney with a link to print out a voucher to redeem at a theme park for a free one-day, one-park admission. And wait -- it get generous and generouser: If you're unable to use the ticket, it can be donated to a charity designated by Disney.
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PS. If you're a twitter user, check out Disney @DisneyParks.
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There are restrictions and details, be sure to check 'em all out so you don't get disappointed. But let me tell you, Disney rarely disappoints. Disney is good people.
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Disclaimer: I received nothing in exchange for this promo, I just love Disney & volunteer work.

Oh The Thinks I Can Think Up

We recently visited a client in Atlanta and received a tour of his new 35,000 square foot office/shop. I, being of little brain and large imagination, had trouble concentrating after I came upon this vacuum:
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Do you see what I see?
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Because I see this:

And immediately my mind went to work on a Cat in the Hat-esque story of me and Eva atop the big vacuum, disposing of Thing 1 and Thing 2 and cleaning up the mess.

So as fast as I could,
I went after my net.
And I said, "With my net
I can get them I bet.
I bet, with my net,
I can get those Things yet!"

Looking for the Living One Among the Dead

The day I found the battered old cemetery
I was feeling pretty battered and old myself.
It was a gray, rainy day and I had a gray, overcast soul.

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"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men's bones and everything impure."

- Matthew 23:27

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Jesus had some strong words relating to tombstones.

Most of us have met some, and often have been like, whitewashed tombstones.

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Tombstones used to be full of expression and meaning.

We've dropped that practice in recent years.

Today's stones just relate the facts.

Black and white, simple facts.

Your name goes here.

Your birth and death go here.

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"a finer bud of promise never bloomed"

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"Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal."

"May thy soul find rest in God's bossom."

"We shall meet again dear father and mother

in a brighter clime than this,

where the anguish of this world of ours

is lost in deathless bliss."

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Can you imagine putting the time and expense into carving all that on a tombstone?

Words today are perishable.

The written word is everywhere, it's shelf-life is amazingly short.

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"rest, mother,
rest in quiet sleep..."
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I once spent two hours crying in a cemetery. A dear, sweet sister reminded me of that recently. I had been crying in the cemetery for hours, reading the Psalms, trying to find comfort.
You know what I found?

I found my sweet Savior whom I had taken my eyes off in the darkness of my grief. Sitting among the tears, the decay, and the life-giving Holy Scriptures, I was reminded of the passage in Luke where the angels comforted the grieving ladies with these gentle, loving, encouraging, motivational words:

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?"
Luke 24:5

Read more here.

Laughing Out Loud

I laughed out loud (LOL), alone, in a public place the other day as I sent my adult daughter the following text message:

Fnaaaah!!
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To you, that might mean nothing.
To her, it meant:
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"I miss you so much. We have so many happy memories that are set off by just one word or phrase. Just one word and you're here beside me and we're together no matter how many miles lie between us."
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How quickly one goes from LOL to COL.

Thinking Out Loud

....passion, thoughtfulness, connection, endeavor, inspire, honor, amaze, unflinchingly, profound, contribute, champion, kindred, format, guide, motivate, wish, dream, share, intentional, declutter, desire, visit, enjoy, texture, simplicity, respond, achieve, entice, spring, balance, search, stimulate, entwine, propel, revolve, imagine, chase, go, work, direct, release, venture, learn, begin, open, explore, embrace, project, sparkle, grow, carve, celebrate, dive, harmonize, invite, cherish, expect, appear, feel, access, reach, engage, provide, help, love, know, hope, assure, translate, capture, listen, see, pursue.....

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This is the path to an amazing future.

2010's Most Amazing Person

I finally got to meet (in person) someone I met in various online communities over the past few years. She has inspired me many times, many, many times actually. I finally met Pensieve Robin. She is everything I imagined she'd be, except for the halo, I didn't see the halo I envisioned.
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Robin told me last night that I won the fantastic Dress Barn clutch she was giving away on her blog. I can't wait to get that little darlin' in my chubby little fingers later today. Now, of course, I need a new dress to go with it and new shoes. A new hair-do. Oh, and a manicure. Wait. A pedicure, too........

A Resilient Life, Gordon MacDonald

Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004
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Listening to Gordon MacDonald on Moody's Midday Connection sometime over the Christmas holiday, I got pumped. MacDonald was inspirational, motivational, a ball of energy and. . . a senior citizen. I could hear how his heart beat for people & for ministry. I could hear that while he may not love every change young people bring about, he definitely loves young people. I could hear that while his body is getting older, he is still focused on serving the Lord.
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I knew from my experience with aging and my experience with senior citizens in the church, I knew he didn't become this person without great intention and strategic thinking. And I wanted that.

MacDonald challenged me to think of the older people I know -- which would I like to be like, why and how will I accomplish this. That experience in itself was eye-opening. As I thought of so many I didn't want to be like, I wondered when I get older, will anyone choose me as a role model or mentor? That's a kick in the pants.
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Resilient People:

• are committed to finishing strong
• run inspired by a big-picture view of life
• run free of the weight of the past
• train to go the distance
• run in the company of a "happy few"

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"People who are resilient live by the gravitational pull of a call." Strategic thinking begins here. "What do I hear God saying about the direction of my life and its contribution?"

What is a "call?"

• a summons to a way of life
• acknowledging that you are accountable to God in the discharge of life's duties
• originate from God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit (no one in the Bible called him/herself)
• unpredictable (usually involving the weakest and most improbable)
• mind boggling, almost impossible objectives, challenging
• not classified ads (not a volunteer position)
• in most cases, is matched with a giftedness

MacDonald describes a "call story" as "a history of whispered words and events that capture the soul and make one aware that God is speaking." For some, the call story is dramatic, for others, a continual dripping just beats on you until you capitulate.
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"Resilient people identify those particular functions and qualities of being that are clearly in the gift zone." Each of us has things we must do in second gear and things we can do in overdrive. We need to lessen the second gear ones and increase the overdrive ones.

"There is a mysterious fervor within us that rises and bubbles when we are in the center of the gift zone."-

Resilient people go the distance:

• prepare for emergencies
• know what has to be accomplished
• stay fit and able
• grow your mind
• harness your emotions
• trim egos
• open heart to the presence of God

"Too many people see life as a sprint.... but life is more than a burst of speed. It's a distance run and it demands endurance, determination and a kick at the finish."

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MacDonald has taken some criticism for this book. He does lean heavy towards self-discipline and self-mastery, but he never, ever excludes the importance of the Master, too. When I see the older folks that I don't want to be like, I see a huge lack of self-discipline and self-mastery. I see a strong bent on selfishness and laziness. When I look at the older folks that I desire to be like, I see discipline -- a lot of it. And that has been my own experience at what is bringing me down and keeping me from being a resilient person: a huge lack of self-discipline. The older I get, the more I lean towards slacking off a little bit & resting more ("my poor aching bones").
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I hope I got this encouragement and advice in time to change the years I have left. I'm a wee bit old for some of it and wish I had started awhile ago. I see now that MacDonald has published a Participant's Guide for this book. I might get that. I have copious notes from this book, but a little guide might be nice.

I Peter 1:13-15 Therefore, get your minds ready for action, being self-disciplined, and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance but, as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;"
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II Timothy 2:20-22 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls, but also those of wood and earthenware, some for special use, some for ordinary. So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
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I received nothing in exchange for this review.

Patti's Party Palace Karaoke

Patti's Party Palace

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It took a village.... but we finally got Patti moved over the Christmas holiday. She's now in this adorable country house, probably 70 years old, with tons of history and the sweetest landlords ever.

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Check out Ethan here with his balancing act. I thought about setting my drink on top of it all just to see how he'd do. Somehow he made it to the truck without droppage.

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The new place, what realtors call "a real charmer" or "a great fixer-up" or "has potential!!" needed a smidgen of work before they could move in.

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Patti picked out some great colors, it's really cozy.

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My contribution to the work load was deep cleaning & keeping little Miss Whoozit out of trouble.

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Y'know... feed 'er, play with 'er... pet 'er.

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I'm not too shabby when it comes to this grandma business.
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Patti worked endlessly for at least a month. Luckily, most of it was during the school holiday.
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Most surprising was how Patti's house became the party house. The place to see and be seen.

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Definitely the place for karaoke.

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An added bonus?
Seeing so many people we know driving by.
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And waving/beeping/yelling at them every single time I drive past. -

February 2009

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And I wonder . . .

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Can this February possibly live up to last February?