Heart, Soul and Blueberry Poptarts

Blowing on dandelions and watching the fluff take leave on even the softest of breezes.



Running barefoot and letting the grass squirt up between your toes.



Eating popsicles in the Summer heat as the drips form an orange goatee.



Leaping through sprinklers - flying spread-eagle through the spray.



Commandeering a swing - going back and forth and back and forth, and finally - getting up so high, your mom gasps and yells at you to slow down.



Eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches.



Soaking Oreos in a glass of milk to just the right texture.



Eating Rice Krispies, with raspberries nestled among the snap, crackle and pop.



Pop tarts with chocolate frosting or plain blueberry.



Chocolate chip muffins and donut-holes from Dunkin Donuts every Saturday morning.


Watching Scooby Doo, Sponge Bob Squarepants and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.



Eating off the ears first, on a chocolate Easter Bunny.



Riding Hot Wheels and tricycles and bicycles, sans training wheels, that sometimes teeter and fall.



Scraped knees and sobbing trips home.



Band aids decorated with the likes of Care Bears and Spiderman.



But sometimes hugs, iodine and band aids won't do.
Tragicially, sometimes there is a crying need for additional help.

St. Jude's is the beacon of light in a parent's darkest night.


ABOUT ST. JUDE AND HOW YOU CAN HELP:


Taylor's Angels wishes to unite with the Soul Patrol in donating to St. Jude's Hospital in Taylor Hicks' name.
They have set up an account, through Fans Care for St. Judes Kids.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the link:

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=16702f4277e70110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&cpsextcurrchannel=1

Fans Care for St. Jude Kids:
Uniting fans worldwide for an important goal!
Fans Care for St. Jude Kids is a friendly fund-raising program involving the fans of music artists, actors, athletes, entertainers, television shows and more.
The program unites fans and fan clubs from across the world for one goal – to raise money for the life-saving work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Through Fans Care, donations to St. Jude are made in honor of the donor’s favorite celebrity, team or show.
The program allows fans to show support for their favorite entertainer, while helping the kids of St. Jude at the same time.



"We are where some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do more science, more quickly.

Where doctors across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients.

Where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay.

We've built America's 3rd-largest health-care charity, with a model that keeps the costs down and the funds flowing, so the science never stops."

"Every child deserves a chance at a life filled with love, laughter, friends and family.
We are working to find the cures that will give these youngsters a fighting chance.
When a child or parent faces an uncertain disease like cancer, they can find hope at St. Jude -- a place where miracles can and do happen."
~ Marlo Thomas ~




There is no better experience for the heart, than reaching down and lifting someone up!

Give thanks for the healthy kids in your lives, and give to those who are not, with the hope that someday all children will be healthy.




Taylor Hicks and the kids from St. Judes, pose for a photo, @ the 2008 Liberty Bowl.

Have I touched your heart today?

Have I made you stop and think?

After reading this, did you want to run and grab your kids and grandkids and give them a big hug, and tell them how much you love them?

Would you want St. Jude' resources available for you, should your family ever experience a parent's darkest night??

If you answered yes to any of those questions, I hope that you will add your support today by clicking on the Fans Care for St Jude's link above.

This page is dedicated in loving memory to my son, Jonathan Adam
July 8, 1983 - February 16, 1991
Forever in our hearts,
Love, Mom



"I Believe" ~ Elvis Presley

A Thank You to Taylor, his Soul Patrol and his Angels

To all my friends on the Soul Patrol ...

I am seldom at a loss for words, as my wife Cassie can attest.
We were overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity and compassion from all of you, so many of you that we have never met.

The words, Thank You, just do not say what we are feeling in our hearts.

This picture is of our 2 boys, Evan and Spencer.
Thanks to you, they had as wonderful of a Christmas as could be possible, under such incredible circumstances.

I wanted to share this picture of the boys taken yesterday, because it shows one of the only things that was salvaged from the house, before the wrecking crew demolished it.

Evan is holding a collage that we made for him from Taylor's show at the Maryland Theatre. It was hanging on the wall in his bedroom, and as the fireman removed a smoldering mattress, this is what they found!!!

It was Evan's first concert and he got to have his picture taken with Taylor (he is also a big fan). The fact that this one item was spared the devastation, has to be more than just luck (it is melted and burnt on the back and smells like smoke, but it is intact!)

It is a sign that even though there may be bumps in the road,
Taylor Hicks and his music will survive.

I know many of you were concerned with the news out of J records.
I was glad to see Taylor respond to all of you, in the manner that he did, and let you know that everything is going to be just fine.
Keep in mind Taylor's own words, spoken to the crowd at the Maryland Theatre ...

"If you stay the same person, it doesn't matter WHERE you go."
~ Taylor Hicks, July 6th, 2007 ~

I want to take just a moment and give a personal thank you to Taylor.
Taylor, when you agreed to come to Hagerstown, my wife and I knew
it would be a very special night.
You had touched so many people along the way, but we never could have anticipated what happened following our terrible day in December.
Because of the time we spent with you, so many people opened their hearts to us.
You were the bridge that brought us together with so many amazing people.
My family thanks you for that gift!

If there is anything Cassie and I can do for you
(besides throwing you another great party in Hagerstown), don't hesitate to let me know.
We are on your team, always will be!

One more special thank you to Taylor's Angels.
You people are incredible!
God bless all, for not only what you did for us, but for what you have done and continue to do for so many people.

Once again, thank you all so very much.
I can only think of one appropriate way to say thanks.

Cassie and I will continue to support and promote Taylor with the same passion that we always have.

When (not IF) Taylor returns to Hagerstown,
I hope some of you will follow him here.
I promise you we will put on one heck of a party.

Take care Soul Patrol.
Hope to see you all again real soon!!!!!
Bruce and Cassie Torres

No matter how many times I read this letter from Bruce, the words keep blurring before my eyes, I just can't seem to stop the tears from flowing.
I know that hearts speak when words cannot, but we have always heard Bruce's heart loud and clear.
I hope he can hear ours too.

It has been our privilege to get to know Bruce and Cassie and their boys, they are gifts that we can thank Taylor for bringing into our lifes.

We have all benefitted from their kindness and total commitment to supporting Taylor Hicks' music, and I'm thankful that so many stepped forward to offer their help when it was needed.

To give Bruce and Cassie an opportunity to forget their problems, for even just a bit, and simply enjoy just being together as a family.

So many times in reaching out to others, we discover some new strength within ourselves.
I would imagine that this is where Bruce and Cassie's strength has been drawn.
They have always reached out to help and support others!

We are looking forward to another exceptional Taylor concert in Hagerstown, but even more importantly the wonderful welcome that Hagerstown extends to everyone ... thanks to Bruce and Cassie Torres!

Teri, thank you for sharing Bruce's letter and the photo that he sent to Taylor's Angels of Evan's buried treasure.

Treasures are somewhat like wildflowers ... they are often found in the most unlikely places.

Caught On Video

Hallelujah
Happy New Year Everybody!!!

I have been on Taylor's hamster wheel all day ...
how in the world does he do it ???
(guess you have to be young)
But I finally hit pay dirt ... woo hoo!!

BIG THANKS go to Ragsqueen (Mandy) for her up-close video of Taylor Hicks' spectacular half-time performance at the Liberty Bowl!!

Be sure to check out Mandy's blog (link in my sidebar) for her recap from the President's Gala and for her glowing recap of Taylor's Liberty Bowl half-time performance!

Now I am a happy camper, this is a video that needs to be seen and this performance should have been shown around the world!!!

photo credit: DidNotExpectThat from Taylor's Angels
(Bless YOU!)
Please visit their blog in my side bar for additional videos, photos and recaps from the 2007 Liberty Bowl!


Taylor with the kids from St. Jude's

And another awesome half-time video, taken from the 50 yard-line by EJ from the Boogie Board.

(Thank YOU!)
You will find additional videos and photos for the President's Gala by clicking on the link for The Boogie Board in my sidebar.

What a true showman Taylor is ... as always I'm blooming proud!!!


photo credit: Herrington Marketing
(Thank YOU)

Please feel free to comment ...
your comments are welcome and appreciated!
Bloom

Gift Of Love

HELP SEND A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE TORRES CHILDREN!

Yesterday I passed along Taylor's Angels plea for your help for the Bruce Torres family who recently lost everything in a tragic house fire.

The SOUL PATROL is working together through The Whomp Swamp and Taylor's Angels to give a holiday gift of LOVE to the two Torres boys, ages 7 and 10.

As the promoter of Taylor Hicks' Hagerstown concert, Bruce gave a wonderful welcome to Taylor ... this is our opportunity to say "Thank You."

For those of you who are unable to send a donation or

giftcard directly,
but would still like to help us be sure these boys have a

great Christmas,
another option is to make a donation through paypal to:
evancol@aol.com

before midnight on December 20.

You CAN use your Visa or Mastercard.
You will receive an email confirmation of your donation with a copy going to Taylor’s Angels.
The totals will be posted on Taylor's Angels and

at The Whomp Swamp.

All the donations will be combined, and one Walmart Giftcard will be sent overnight to the Torres Family.

They can then ALL shop on Christmas Eve for presents and goodies for the holidays!

MAKE THIS A HAPPY HOLIDAY FOR THESE DEAR CHILDREN AND WONDERFUL FAMILY!

PLEASE GO TO: www.paypal.com and send your contribution to

evancol@aol.com

Have a happy and blessed Christmas!

Taylor’s Angels and The Whomp Swamp

It's important to remember too,
that even the Littlest of Angels is needed!

Happy Holidays, Bloom

Christmas, my child, is love in action.

Every time we love, every time we give,

It's Christmas.

Dale Evans

A Plea To The Soul Patrol From Taylor's Angels

If you have visited Taylor's Scrapbook Tribute you will recognize these two photos of Bruce and Cassie Torres of Cabana Cove Concerts along with their outstanding crew.

They are the promoters responsible for bringing Taylor to Hagerstown, Maryland ... and as you know one of the highlights of the Taylor Hicks 2007 tour ... was his performance on July 6th in Hagerstown, Maryland.

These are the people who made sure right down to the very last detail that Taylor's reception in Hagerstown was phenomenal!

Now they need the help of Taylor's Soul Patrol!

Over the weekend, Taylor's Angels received an email from Mr. Torres stating that he and his family had just lost everything in a massive fire that destroyed their home and everything they owned.

Teri from Taylor's Angels has asked that the Soul Patrol rally together and help this family during the holiday season!!

"We realize that you are probably wondering why we ask for support for this family, but we can't emphasize enough that this particular man and his wife are totally dedicated to promoting Taylor Hicks and his music any way possible!
Their belief in Taylor is strong and has never wavered.

Taylor’s Angels has continued to correspond with Mr. Torres over the months because of his true dedication to Taylor Hicks and his firm belief in Taylor’s amazing artistry.
In working with Mr. Torres to send over 60 children within the community to the July 6 concert, Taylor’s Angels became increasingly aware that this promoter was actually promoting Taylor Hicks, his artistry and his music and was focused on that aspect more so than the bottom dollar.
His attention to every detail regarding Taylor’s visit to Hagerstown was impeccably thought out.
As a result, Taylor set the one day sales record for tickets at the legendary Maryland Theatre, where his idol Ray Charles had once played.
As everyone is well aware by now, Taylor’s performance in Hagerstown was one of the best of the summer tour.
All the fan sites were talking about his energy, passion and song selection.
We believe Taylor knew the passion with which this show was promoted and was touched by the love he felt in this small community.

We hope that the Soul Patrol will rise to the aid of this incredible promoter who so deeply respects the artistry of Taylor Hicks and believes in his future!

We ask that, if you are able, you will send toys or gift cards to this family who has suffered such tragedy.
They have two boys, ages 10 and 7, who need toys.
The oldest is an artist and loves to draw and the youngest loves to build things.
Department store gift cards would also be a blessing and would allow them to purchase food, clothing and other necessities.
Anything you can do would be of tremendous help!

The address for you to send your items is:
Mr. Bruce Torres
17734 Burnside Avenue
Hagerstown, MD 21740

If you need more information, please email us at taylors_angels@yahoo.com.
We thank you for your generous support and wish you all a joyous holiday!"


Teri I hope that the SP reaches out and embraces this family the way that they embraced Taylor Hicks ... with open arms and big hearts!!
I cannot even begin to imagine what they are going through right now and my hearts aches to know they have lost everything.
It must be a horrendous experience and we can only be thankful that no one was harmed.

Everytime I read Tina's posts about Bruce and Cassie and Cabana Cove Concerts, I am moved anew at how truly unique these promoters are, their love of Taylor and his music speaks for itself.
I copied one of the posts that Bruce sent to the SP from Taylor's scrapbook and hope you don't mind if I post it here.

Mr. Torres and his wife, Cassie, were speechless after reading some of the comments on the various fan sites regarding how well received Taylor's concert was in their small hometown.
They sent their warmest thanks and wished to respond to Taylor's fans in this manner:

"To all the fans who sent messages regarding the Hagerstown concert, my wife, Cassie, and I want to thank you for the kind words.

It was our first concert production and we were honored to have Taylor Hicks as our guest.
Those of you who were there know what a special night it was.

For so many others who could not attend but got to listen in or see some of the video, I am sure you could feel it as well.

Being able to bring so many children to the show was as much a gift to us as it was to them.
For one little girl who had recently revealed an unbearable past, it became a very special night.
The only peace she has known over the last year has been his music.
Her mother told me that looking up at the pictures of Taylor on her wall gave her something to smile about.
She was the first person I brought in to meet Taylor during the meet and greet.
Nothing will ever erase her horrible experiences, but in that one moment sitting next to Taylor Hicks, the world became a better place.

Taylor Hicks' music is his vehicle, but his caring and compassionate nature is the "heart and soul" of the artist.

It was a pleasure to be a small part of the magic that is following him around.
We hope to have him back in Hagerstown sometime, and we hope to see some of you again."
Bruce and Cassie Torres
Cabana Cove Concerts


Kudos to Taylor Angels' for reaching out to the SP and asking that we show our support by giving back some of what Bruce and Cassie Torres have given to Taylor and to us!!!

We need only remember Taylor's words that night ... whether you were there or listened to the cellcert or watched the outstanding videos from this concert ...
"This is the warmest reception I have ever received"


Phyllis from The Official Soul Patrol responded:

"This is very sad to read about ..... This family stood by Taylor and his dreams ... They believe in DREAMS ... WE as Taylor's FAMILY of Dreamers and Dream achievers MUST COME TOGETHER and give with all that we can ... so we can stand as GOOD WILL AMBASSADORS of the TAYLOR HICKS fan club ...f or those children who have had a black cloud placed over the memory of Christmas this year ... WE NEED TO REPLACE THAT MEMORY ... with a RAINBOW ....... I ask that everyone who has been BLESSED by TAYLOR ... or by being A TAYLOR FAN .... give something ,... no matter how little it need be but lets pull together and show these people what Christmas means to "SOUL PATROL"

Gift cards ... a secret SANTA present .. a shirt ... anything attached with HOPE
WE CAN WE SHOULD!!!
LETS GIVE BACK TO A FAMILY THAT HAS SHOWN UNDYING LOVE for TAYLOR HICKS and HIS DREAMS!!!

GOD BLESS THOSE WHO BROUGHT THIS STORY TO US ...
Now we all can be TAYLOR ANGELS and help heal this FAMILY........
GOD BLESS TAYLOR'S FANS ...
Lets make this a CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER IN A HAPPY WAY FOR THIS FAMILY PLEASE.!!!

P.S. To the member that has brought this to our attention ... please email me, every available way to send gifts of hope to this family.... ASAP.... these children must receive XMas gifts everyway possible ... I want to send them a Letter from Santa ... PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH CONTACT INFO ... thank you.
To the family ... I promise you ... this disaster will bring you a rainbow full of love and needs met ....
This is the time of year that great miracles HAPPEN ... you will come through this ... I PROMISE YOU THAT.... this website is powerful when prayers begin for someone ....Your name is on top of each prayer list all over the world ...
I am going after I sign off, to make a special visit at the North Star and with my fleet of Angels ... YOU WILL SEE great things will come your way... GOD Bless and GOD'S SPEED WITH EACH OF YOU"

Teri and Phyllis thank you for your compassionate hearts, thank you to Taylor's Angels for bringing this to our attention.
I hope we have touched your heart and you will add your support as well as your prayers for this family.
We CAN make a difference ... we are The Soul Patrol!!

Bloom

For more information on Taylor’s Hagerstown, Maryland show and how Mr. Torres impacted this community, please check out the links below:
http://taylorsangels.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html

Scrapbook page:
http://community-2.webtv.net/bloomtaliercio/soulfullofheart/

Don't Change The Recipe

On the red velvet cake!

Taylor Hicks' appearance on July 6th in Hagerstown, Maryland had ALL of the necessary ingredients for a blue ribbon concert!

I was lucky enough to have been there and truly appreciate having these memories captured on video to savor!

One of the highlights was Taylor sitting on his stool chatting and joking with the audience and then thanking the audience and promoters for the warmest welcome EVER!

This video just recently surfaced and I was thrilled to run across it, his Hagerstown performance of "The Fall"!


video captured by skeeter
Thank YOU!


We often talk about an artist that is able to make you really feel a song, a perfect example ... Taylor's "Happier With Him" from Hagerstown!
Taylor makes you feel it, right down to your bones!



video captured by collins316
Thank YOU!



From The Herald Mail


"Soul Thing" as well as Taylor's
"Don't Change The Recipe On The Red Velvet Cake" quote!



Another video capturing some of the special highlights of this concert is featured at Taylor's Angels.
Visit their blogspot, listed in my sidebar under favorite links
to view Taylor receiving The Key to the City of Hagerstown!
Then make sure to read how 'Taylor Scored A Victory In Maryland' from their blog post of July 25th!
But don't stop there, keep reading, find out how they have been helping in Taying It Forward One Soul At A Time