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Excerpt: Practice Makes Perfect
Book 1: Serenity House Trilogy
Hyde Point, New York
NORA NOLAN struggled to stay calm as she climbed the stairs of Serenity House, Hyde Point’s new home for troubled girls. Behind her were Sergeant Chief Dan Whitman and Jade Kendrick, one of the resident teenagers. They hurried to the first room on the left.
Paige, Jade’s sister, was sprawled across the bed, wearing oversize boxers and an oversize T-shirt to cover her huge stomach; she peered up from her book, The First Nine Months of Life. “What’s wrong?” She spotted her sister. “Jade? What’re you doing home in the middle of the day?” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you get in trouble again at school?”
Bursting into the room, Jade climbed onto the bed with Paige. “No, Dan came and got me.” She sidled in close. “Something’s wrong.”
Paige’s eyes widened; she slipped her hand into Jade’s and looked up at the adults. “What happened?”
“I need to talk to you both.” Nora tried to keep her tone even as she came into the room, followed by Dan. She inched Paige and Jade over and sat on the bed. “I just got a call from the state police. I’m so sorry, girls. There’s been an accident.” Her voice cracked, and Dan put a hand on her shoulder. “Your parents were on a motorcycle. They were killed instantly.”
For a minute everything seemed suspended in time. No one moved. Then tears welled in Jade’s eyes, and she turned her face into Paige’s shoulder. Paige shifted and encircled Jade with her arms. But her own eyes stayed dry. “It’s okay, sis, I’ll take care of you.” Swallowing back emotion, she looked at Nora. “H-how did it happen?”
“They crashed into a utility pole on the way here.” No need to tell them yet that Sam and Sari Kendrick, who had just been released from rehab, had visited their dealer and had been high as kites when they drove their motorcycle off the road.
“No, no,” Jade sobbed, almost hysterical. “They were coming to take us home this weekend.”
“I know they were.” Nora reached out to soothe Jade’s shoulder.
Paige’s hand went to her stomach. “What’ll we do now, Nora?”
“We’ll decide that later,” Nora said, tucking back a strand of Paige’s hair. “Sweetie, it’s all right to cry.”
Shaking her head, Paige lifted her chin. “No, I have to figure this out. We’re alone now. I’ll have to take care of Jade. I’ll have to…” Her face tightened, then blanched. “I, um, don’t feel good.”
Nora cocked her head. “The baby?”
“No. Just…a little sick to my stomach. I gotta go to the bathroom.” She tried to ease away from Jade.
Her sister clung to her. “No, Paige,” Jade said brokenly. “Don’t go.”
Nora pried the younger girl loose. “Let go, Jade. She’ll be right back.” She wrapped Jade in her arms and Paige bolted off the bed and headed to the door. Just as she reached it, she stopped short. “Nora, Nora, my…I…” She looked down at the wet splotches on her boxers.
Nora drew in a breath. “Your water broke.”
“That means the baby’s coming.” Paige gripped the jamb. “It’s a month early.” Her face contorted and she hunched over. “Oh.”
Dan reached her first. “Easy now.” He grasped her shoulder, just before she crumpled. Swinging her up into his arms, he crossed to the bed and set her down. “Nora, call the ambulance.”
“No, Nora, don’t go.” Paige grabbed for Nora’s arm. “Don’t go. The baby’s coming.”
“Okay. I’ll make the call.” Hurriedly, Dan left the room.
“Nora, it’s coming now.”
“Well,” Nora said with a calm she didn’t feel. “I have some medical training. And Dan’s an EMT, so if the medics don’t get here in time, you’re still in good hands.”
Paige’s grip on Nora’s arm intensified. She moaned as a contraction slammed into her. “Ohhh…”
“Breathe in, Paige. Like we learned in class. Let the air out slowly.”
The contraction crested, but another seemed to hit immediately. It was too soon for them to be coming so fast.
Dan returned. “The medics’ll be delayed. The only ambulance is on another call.” Nora tried to hide her concern. Serenity House was located on the outskirts of town; under the best of circumstances, it took at least fifteen minutes to drive out here.
Another contraction. When it finally subsided, Paige whimpered, “I want my mother.”
“I know you do, sweetie, I know.”
“Oh, God, it hurts.”
“Nora,” Dan said, “get some towels and sterilize a pair of scissors.” His voice was confident, cutting through Nora’s panic. “It won’t be long.”
Nora did as Dan asked. By the time she returned, Paige was soaked in sweat and breathing hard. Dan and Jade were at her side. Nora took Dan’s place on the bed, and he went to wash up.
After a fierce contraction, Paige drew in a deep breath and grabbed Nora’s hand. “They’re really dead.”
“Mom said I could keep the baby. That they’d help. They can’t now, right?”
“No, they can’t now. But—”
“Then I don’t want it.”
“Oh, Paige. You don’t have to decide now.”
“I don’t want it.” She lifted her shoulders off the bed, and tightened her hold on Nora’s hand. “Promise me, you’ll take it right away. I don’t even wanna know what it is.”
“Sweetie, now’s not the time—”
“All right, I promise. I’ll take it away until you have time to think about it.”
“I don’t want to know…” Another contraction. “I don’t want to know anything.”
Dan returned, and forty-five minutes later, Nora watched as the tiny infant slipped into his hands. Sirens blared in the background. Paige turned her face to the wall. “Take it away,” was all she said.
Nora’s throat clogged and her eyes blurred, but she wrapped the baby in a blanket and stood holding it by the bed.
“Take it away!” Paige screamed.
Slowly, cradling the newborn to her chest, Nora turned and walked out the door.
CHAPTER ONE, Practice Makes Perfect
Fifteen Years later
PAIGE FLOATED facedown on a raft in the kidney-shaped pool on the Princess Cruise Liner docked just off the coast of Jamaica. The tropical sun warmed her back and almost lulled her to sleep. Suddenly, incongruously, a ringing pierced the air—a bell of some kind. She moaned and tried to block out the noise, but it persisted. Damned if it didn’t sound like a phone…
“Arrgh…” Paige buried her face in her pillow. Blindly she reached out her arm, fumbling for the intrusive instrument. “Hello.”
“Yes, this is Dr. Kendrick.” She kept her eyes shut, hoping the call would take only a few minutes and she could go back to Jamaica.
“Just a moment, please. Dr. Chandler would like to speak to you.” Muffled sounds. The woman giggled as she spoke away from the receiver.
A deep, morning-after voice came over the phone. “Hi, Paige.”
“This better be good, Ian.”
A throaty chuckle. “Hmm. Last time a woman said that to me…” The man was a notorious flirt. She remembered that now.
“Cut it out.” Her words were slurred by the pillow.
“Sorry to wake you, Sleeping Beauty. I wouldn’t have called, but one of your fan club just delivered, and she said you said she could call any time—”
Paige’s head cleared instantly. “Kari Linstrom?” Her heartbeat quickened. If the pediatrician was being called in the middle of the night… She glanced at the clock. Okay. Calm down. It’s 5 a.m. Not the middle of the night. And she had told the teenager she could call at any time. “Is the baby all right?” Paige asked.
“Little Alyssa Paige is fine. But she has a hemangioma on her left cheek, and Kari won’t believe me when I tell her it’s just a vascular birthmark and will go away. She wants you.”
Sliding out of bed, Paige crossed to her closet. “I’ll be right there.”
“Just talk to Kari on the phone,” Ian told her. “It’s early. You can catch some more sleep.”
“No, I want to come down.”
“Fine. I’ll tell her you’re on your way.”
“Ian? Did the delivery go smoothly?”
“The second one is usually easier.”
“Spoken like a man.”
Again a sensual chuckle on the other end. God, did he take sexy pills? “See you soon.”
She pulled on navy pants, a white blouse and a light sweater, stuck her feet into a pair of Birkenstocks, and was out the door of her twelve-room house on Spencer Hill and into her silver BMW in less than five minutes. She reached the sprawling Hyde Point General Hospital in record time and arrived at the Birthing Center a mere twenty minutes after being snatched from her Caribbean cruise.
Ian met her outside one of the birthing rooms. Despite the early hour, he managed to look irritatingly handsome in green scrubs, with his long hair the color of mink framing a face that turned grown women into simpering idiots. “What did you do, fly?” he asked.
“Wish I could. It would save time.”
He nodded to the first door. “Sorry about this, but it’s your own fault. All the mothers of your little patients think you’re their mother.”
Mother. She ignored the twinge, though it was hard when she remembered today’s date. And hard, too, because Kari, like Paige, had been a resident of Serenity House when her first child—a son—had been born. Which was why, at Nora Nolan’s request, Paige had agreed to be the Linstrom children’s pediatrician. She said to Ian, “Your patients think you’re Dr. Kildare, so we’re even.”
“Who’s he?” Ian called out to her retreating back; she brushed past him and into the first room without answering.
Kari Linstrom sat on a bed with yellow-covered pillows and sheets, cradling her child. Paige dropped her purse on a table. “Hi, Kari. So she came early?”
The girl’s face glowed, though it was etched with exhaustion—and something else. “Yes.” Her voice quavered. “Dr. Paige Kendrick meet Alyssa Paige Linstrom.”
Paige smiled warmly at her. “I’m honored.” She crossed to the sink. “Let me wash up.” Scrubbing, she asked, “Everything go okay?”
“I know, sweetie.”
“But she’s worth it.” Kari was looking down at the child when Paige approached the bed. Bending over, Paige moved the blanket away from the infant’s face. Sprouts of red hair, the exact shade of Kari’s, peeked out from under the gauzy pink cap. Little fingers flexed, and Paige stuck her own pinky into the baby’s hand. Alyssa grasped it and Paige chuckled. “Well, hello there, little one. Welcome to the world.”
Kari whispered, “Dr. Kendrick, look at her face.”
Though the baby’s skin was typical newborn red, a tiny purplish blotch did indeed mar her cheek. “It looks like a fairy’s handprint,” she said, recalling the description in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “The Birthmark”. “But Dr. Chandler was right. It’s a hemangioma, also known as a strawberry mark.”
Tears clouded Kari’s eyes. “She has it because I’m not married.”
“My father said God would curse the baby because I’m not married. Just like Jimmy’s feet.” Kari’s son had been born with club feet and had gone through painful surgery and a full year of casting to correct the deformity.
The young mother began to cry in earnest. Paige sat down on the bed and pulled Kari and the baby into her arms. “Shh, Kari. It’s all right. God hasn’t cursed your baby.”
Damn society. Nineteen-year-old Kari Linstrom had grown up in the projects on the north side of Hyde Point and had spent a year at Serenity House—just as Paige had done. After she’d moved back home, Kari’s very rigid father never let her forget her unwed status.
Paige ran a soothing hand down Kari’s hair. “Listen to me, Kari. Children are often born with these kinds of marks. They mean nothing, and most of them go away within the first two years of life. If they don’t disappear, laser surgery can easily remove them.”
“Really. But understand this, honey. Even if that wasn’t the case, like with Jimmy’s feet, birthmarks are flukes of nature, not acts of God.”
Kan raised her eyes to Paige. They were still swimming with tears. “My priest doesn’t believe that.”
“Your priest sees things from a more narrow perspective, Kari. I see them in a broader sense.” And more sanely. “Now, I don’t want to hear any more of that bunk about little Alyssa’s pretty face.”
When Kari still looked skeptical, Paige added, “You have to have faith in me. I would never lie to you.”
“I know.” Kari gulped back her tears. “I do have faith in you. Thanks.”
Paige reached for the baby. “Now, hand her over, kid. I want to count my namesake’s fingers and toes.”
Kari glanced past Paige’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, Dr. Chandler.”
Paige’s head snapped around. She’d been unaware of their audience and was vaguely discomfited. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I didn’t want to disturb you.” He gave her a killer grin.
She scowled back.
“I was wondering if I could see you after you’re done here.”
For a moment Paige hesitated. A shudder of something went through her. Like someone walking over my grave, was how Nora always described similar feelings. Paige shook the notion off. “Sure, I’ll be about half an hour.”
“I’ll be in the doctors’ lounge on this floor.”
“Fine.” She turned her back on Ian. Best to concentrate on the baby. “Now, let me have her.”
As she cradled the child in her arms, Paige felt the same sense of well-being she experienced every time she held a newborn. It was one of the reasons she’d chosen to specialize in pediatrics. She loved all children, but babies especially. And she had “the touch,” her mentor, Elsa Moore, used to tell her.
Smiling, she lay the little girl on the bed and unwrapped the blanket.
“CAN I MAKE fresh coffee for you before I go on duty?” The petite blond nurse—Sabrina Sherman—smiled at Ian through heavily made-up eyes.
“No thanks, ma’am. My ma learned me good.” He winked at her, and saw those eyes widen. Uh-oh. His brother, Derek, constantly teased him about his effect on women. His mother had other admonitions. Be careful with that charm, young man. God gave it to you to use, not abuse. “Thanks, anyway. I can do it.”
Sidling close to him, Sabrina gave him an I’m yours-if-you-want-me smile, then left
Women. They were the joy and bane of his existence. He chuckled as he washed the pot and assembled the coffee. Take Paige Kendrick. He never would have guessed she could be Ms. Warm and Sensitive. True, he hadn’t seen her work directly with patients in her exclusive practice on the hill, but he did run into her at Hyde Point General, the only hospital in the small upstate New York town; he was an ob/gyn and she was a pediatrician, and they’d consulted a few times, too.
As the aroma of coffee filled the air, he crossed to the table and dropped onto a chair to fiddle with one of the jigsaw puzzles that he routinely brought in here. He didn’t dare sit still or he’d fall instantly to sleep.
Soon Paige walked in. “What are you doing?” she asked, checking her watch. “At 6 a.m.?”
“A jigsaw puzzle so I don’t doze off.”
Paige looked thoughtful. “You ever get used to this?”
“Calls in the middle of the night? Nope. My dad said you never get used to it.”
“Your father was an obstetrician?”
“Yes.” Standing, Ian crossed to pour coffee for both of them. The pain of his parents’ death a year ago was still there, and when he was tired like this, the wound felt raw. “Before he retired, he’d cut back on his practice and was teaching at Elmwood Medical School.”
“Elmwood? I went there.”
“Yes, I know.” He turned and handed her a cup. “Black, right?”
Nodding, she took it from him and glanced at her watch again. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
So much for small talk. It was the one criticism her colleagues had about her. She was cold and standoffish—all business. Some nurses joked that they needed to wear a sweater when they worked with her. Quite a contrast to what he’d just witnessed in the birthing room.
“Come sit down.” He moved past her and sank onto the lumpy cushions of the couch. “You can keep me awake.”
She didn’t smile. Nor did she act as though his every word was a come-on, which frankly he was pleased about; she sat a respectable distance away and sipped her coffee. “Shoot.”
“I want you to join us at the center I’m establishing for young mothers and children.” This was Ian’s pet project—a facility to treat unwed mothers and other young mothers who couldn’t afford medical care for themselves or their children. Pregnant girls from Serenity House would receive pre- and post-natal care, though they would give birth at the hospital.
Paige’s soft-brown eyebrows arched. She didn’t pluck them, he noticed. They were thick and full, like her lashes, which framed eyes the color of the sky in spring. “I thought you were ready to open next month. You have all your personnel, don’t you?”
“We did. But Diane Conklin backed out.” He managed to say it without wincing. He’d had no idea the young doctor had joined for…spurious reasons. “Her husband took a job in Cleveland and she’s going with him.” After Ian had made it clear he didn’t sleep with married women.
“That’s too bad. Diane’s terrific with kids.”
“So are you.”
Paige frowned. “I didn’t respond to your memo the first time, Ian, because I’m too busy with my private practice.”
“Ah, yes. But I wanted you, you know.”
It was subtle, just a slight shifting, but she inched away from him. “Really? Well, nothing’s changed since last year when you sent it around. If anything, I’m busier.”
He drank his coffee; the caffeine was kick-starting his system, and he could think more clearly. “I’ve been assessing your practice, Paige.” He studied her. “You don’t have a lot of underprivileged patients. Your practice is pretty upscale.”
“That’s none of your business.” Her tone was glacial.
“Well, I’m making it my business. The Center is for young mothers who can’t afford good medical care for themselves or their kids. Don’t you think you should give back to a society that’s gotten you where you are?”
“That society did me a lot more harm than good, Dr. Chandler.” She sent him a don’t-mess-with-me look. “Not that it’s really your concern. In any case, I’m simply too busy to help you out.”
Hmm. She was prickly about this. For some reason, it challenged him. “Sounds pretty self-centered to me.”
“Ian, I mean it. What I choose to do isn’t any of your business.”
“Maybe not. It’s just that you’ve been so good with Kari’s kids.”
The genuine compliment seemed to melt her iciness a bit.
“Look,” she said, “I have this resident working with me until the end of the month. As far as I know, he’s not committed after his rotation. You can ask him.”
“I don’t want a resident. You could start by giving us one day,” he said coaxingly. Ian knew that one of his faults was that he was like a pit bull when he wanted something. “Or is it that you don’t agree with the concept?”
“No, of course I agree with the concept.” Her eyes blazed blue fire. “Hyde Point needs good medical care for young girls and their babies. I admire you for doing it.” She frowned. “I just don’t want to be a part of it.”
“God, Ian, are you always such a bulldozer?”
“Only when I need to be.”
“I don’t want to do it.”
She stood, moved to the counter and rinsed her cup in the sink. He watched her, noting the way her pants hugged her curves. He’d rarely seen her in slacks, and he stopped himself before he could tell her how good she looked in them. He wanted to woo her into his center, not his bed. Time for the big guns. The manipulation he was about to engage in caused him a momentary twinge of conscience, but he went ahead, anyway. “Paige, do you know the name of the new center?”
Pivoting, she threaded her fingers through her light brown hair. Lank and silky, it swung around her shoulders. “No. Does it matter?”
“It might to you. It’ll be christened the Elsa Moore Center.”
Paige gripped the cup. “How do you know Elsa Moore? You didn’t go to Elmwood, did you?”
“No, I went to med school out West.” He gave her his best grin. “But I knew Elsa Moore very well. She was my mother.”
A VISION OF ELSA—small, slender and delicate—swam before Paige’s eyes; Elsa was so unlike the tall, muscular man with linebacker shoulders who was sprawled on the couch. For a moment Paige was speechless. He must look like his father, she thought. “Elsa was your mother? Really?”
Paige knew Elsa was married to Tom Moore. She’d met him in Elsa’s office, of course. She’d never met Elsa’s sons, although she’d seen scattered photos of two small boys around the office. “I remember her telling me her sons’ names were Derek and Tommy?”
“I’m Tommy. Named after my father. Thomas Ian. It got confusing and Dad and my friends started calling me Ian, but Mom liked Tommy.”
Her brows knitted. “You don’t have your parents’ last name.”
“No. It’s a long story.”
It didn’t add up. “The only pictures I ever saw of you were when you were little. Elsa had those on her desk.”
Gray eyes were briefly shadowed with hurt. “Yes. She said that I was still her little boy even though I’d grown up.”
Paige leaned against the counter. “I never knew.” Her insides knotted. God, she hated surprises. “Ian, I’ve known you for four years. Why didn’t you ever tell me this?”
“For the same reason you never came to our house, spent time with our family, even though you worked for my mother all through medical school.”
Paige had a brief flash of Elsa’s invitations. We’re having a picnic this Memorial Day, dear…You and your sister are welcome to spend Christmas with us, Paige…My husband and sons would love to finally meet you…It’s Tommy’s graduation…
“Paige, are you all right?”
“This is a shock to me.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “What do you mean, for the same reason I never came to your house?”
“My mother said you were a very private person who didn’t want to mix your personal life with your professional one.” He waited a minute. “It’s why you never saw much of her once you opened your own practice.”
“She retired to Florida soon after that.” Paige’s tone was defensive.
“They came up to Keuka Lake every spring and summer.”
“Well, you’re right, really. I still don’t like to mix my personal and professional lives.”
“Yes, everybody knows that about you.”
“Don’t get your back up. I didn’t mean it was the subject of gossip.”
Paige thought of something else and straightened immediately. “Ian, I was doing that physician-exchange program in England when Elsa and Tom died. That’s why I didn’t make it to their funeral.”
His throat worked convulsively. “I know, we got your note.” It had been addressed to “The Moores.”
“I would have said something to you personally had I known you were her son.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “I’m so sorry I missed the funeral. I got back a month afterward.” She hesitated. “I went to the cemetery.” Actually she’d visited more than once.
“She would have liked that.” Ian stood and stretched. The scrubs strained across his chest. Paige was tall, but he loomed over her. “In any case, I’m naming the center after Mom for a couple of reasons. One is personal. But mostly I’m doing it because she was a brilliant doctor who donated her time to worthy causes like this.”
“She worked magic with kids.” Paige had learned the tricks of her trade from Elsa, who’d always accepted nonpaying patients and showed by example how doctors could help society in many ways.
“The touch, she called it. You have it, too. She’d said that, but I never saw you in action before tonight. Watching you was like watching my mother treat patients.”
Paige shook off the compliment, though it warmed her. “I’m dumbfounded.” And…upset that she’d known Ian for years but hadn’t known he was Elsa’s son.
“Good. I’m catching you in a weak moment. Join us, Paige, at the Center.”
He raised his hand and she stepped back, afraid he was going to touch her.
“Don’t say no again. Think about it.”
He was something else, but he was starting to get to her. And the last thing she wanted was to work regularly with unwed mothers who reminded her of her own past. Just dealing with the few Serenity House patients as a favor to Nora was difficult. It was why she’d chosen to practice on the Hill—usually the moms were older, married and more established. So she said more firmly, “I don’t have to think about it, Ian.” She crossed to the exit.
She halted at the door and faced him He was, after all, Elsa’s son.
“My mother would have loved to see you working with disadvantaged children.”
Exasperated, she said, “Do you always resort to emotional blackmail to get your way?”
“Only when I have to.”
“It won’t work this time.”
“Hmm,” was all he said. But the smug grin on his face unnerved her.
IT WAS SEVEN that evening before Paige let herself think about Ian’s proposal—and one of his comments, in particular.
My mother would have loved to see you working with disadvantaged children.
She sat in her car, outside Serenity House, where she’d driven as soon as her day—which had begun so early— was over.
She studied Serenity House in the twilight. The gabled three-story structure, set on a hill, had changed over the past fifteen years. It had been painted gray and new steps had been installed. The saplings Dan Whitman had planted that first spring were towering red maples now.
Everything had grown up at Serenity House, including her. She and her sister, Jade, had been placed in Serenity House when their too-wild parents had been ordered into rehab by the courts. Then, on the day they were released, they were killed in a motorcycle accident on their way to pick up their daughters. Paige and Jade had stayed at Serenity for a year, until Paige turned eighteen and was legally able to take care of her sister.
Ian Chandler had rocked her world today, and here she was, reflecting on her life. She closed her eyes and thought about that night exactly fifteen years ago when she’d given birth to her own child. Dan had delivered it. The medics hadn’t arrived in time; there was no good care for the girls all those years ago.
Paige had asked for so little back then. That she get through the baby’s birth and give it up for adoption. And know nothing about it—not even whether she’d had a girl or a boy. Complete withdrawal was the only way she could get through the whole ordeal.
And she never would have survived and made something of herself if it hadn’t been for Nora Nolan and later, Elsa Moore. Both women had given her lifelines: Nora, the nurturing she’d needed to give birth and endure the aftermath, and Elsa, the professional opportunities to become a doctor despite her deprived childhood.
She winced at the recollection of Ian’s words, Don’t you think you should give back to a society that’s gotten you where you are?
A gentle tap on the window drew her from her musings. She recognized the visitor and buzzed down the window.
Nora Nolan’s smile was as warm as the noontime sun. “Hey, sweetie. What are you doing out here?”
“Want some company?”
Nora slid into the front seat. Just fifty, she had strands of gray in her light brown hair now, which tonight was pulled up girlishly in a short ponytail.
“Have a bad day?” Nora asked. “It’s April sixth.”
Paige sighed. “I survived.”
“You always do, dear.”
“Nora, do you think I’m selfish? Having the kind of practice I do?”
“You are one of the most unselfish people—doctors-I’ve ever known. What on earth gave you that idea?”
“Nothing. I’m just feeling maudlin today, I guess. Tell me what’s new with you.”
For a moment Nora watched her, probably trying to read whether Paige had meant what she’d said. “Well, I was going to call you later about something.” Nora held out her hand, where a diamond ring sparkled.
“Oh, my God.” Paige’s gaze flew to Nora’s face. “From Dan?”
A dreamy smile lit her face. “Yes, of course.”
Paige grinned broadly. Nora Nolan had loved Dan Whitman for years. It had been a favorite topic of the girls of Serenity House. But Dan had been married, his wife suffering from dementia, and his and Nora’s relationship had remained platonic because they were both people of honor. Mary Whitman had died a year ago February.
Like Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, Dan and Nora could be together now. The girls had watched the classic movie on TV back then, along with many of the old TV shows.
Like Dr. Kildare. Reruns that Ian, obviously, had never seen.
Though gestures of affection were hard for her, Paige reached over and hugged Nora. “I’m so happy for you.”
Nora returned the embrace. “I’m going to hold you girls to your promise all those years ago.”
Paige drew back and stared at Nora. The original residents of Serenity House—the first six girls to live there in 1996, the year it opened—had pledged that they’d all come back to Hyde Point no matter where they were in the world when Nora got married. Typical of group-home residents, Paige had not kept in touch with her former house sisters. Darcy Shannon O’Malley, the wild redhead with a devil-may-care attitude, had returned to Hyde Point two years ago, and only then had Paige struck up a friendship with her. “I see Darcy occasionally. Do you know where everybody else is?” she asked.
“Yes. Anabelle’s kept in touch.” The youngest and shyest resident, Anabelle had left town, and no one but Dan and Nora had heard from her again.
“And I hear from Taylor and Charly all the time. They live in Elmwood.”
Though Paige wasn’t friends with either of them, she did bump into Charly and Taylor around town occasionally. Charly had become a social worker like Nora and had married an older man. Taylor, who’d come to Serenity House after being found beaten by the side of the road with no memory of who she was, was happily married with three children.
“That just leaves your sister,” Nora said softly.
“I know where Jade is.” Paige couldn’t keep the chill out of her voice.
“She still won’t see you?”
“Nope. Just talks to me occasionally on the phone.” Paige shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
“Well, you can ask her when she comes for the wedding. It’s going to be in July.”
“That should be enough notice for everybody.”
“What’s more, I’m asking all you girls to come a few days early. I want to see how my first flock’s doing.”
Paige breathed in deeply. More surprises. Nora’s wedding. Contact with the other Serenity House residents. And maybe seeing her sister for the first time in more than three years. Add that to Ian Chandler’s little bomb—that he was Elsa Moore’s son and that he wanted Paige to work in the center he’d named for his mother—and it had been quite a day.
Paige wished like hell she really was on that Caribbean cruise.

domain: literature


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From Our Editors
Give your living room some more space with some comfortable and compact furniture items from Mr Oak in Seminole.
A rocking bench? A table for six? Whatever outdoor and patio furniture you're looking for, this store has just what you're looking for. Sharpen your artistic eye with a little help from this store ? even the most impressive artists are dazzled by the stunning pieces on display. If your walls are looking a little bare, spruce them up with items like curtains and mirrors. Even if your aesthetic tastes are as different as can be, you and your loved ones will fulfill all your home decorating needs with items like rugs, throw pillows, and vases.
Heading to Mr Oak? Take the whole family along for a fun shopping trip and find easy parking nearby. No matter the need, Mr Oak has you covered AND furnished at their furniture superstore. Come in today!

domain: artistic


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is “Be Excited! Be Prepared”?
“Be Excited! Be Prepared” is a robust communication and community outreach campaign designed to provide the public with as much information as possible about capital improvement projects in the City of Santa Monica. As part of implementing the community’s vision for the future of Santa Monica, there will be several projects under construction in the next few years. This progress is exciting, but will require patience and preparation to handle potential construction impacts. City staff will work actively with community partners to keep residents, businesses, and visitors up-to-date and engaged on the progress of these projects.
What types of projects will be under construction?
A broad spectrum of projects are planned, including key infrastructure improvements, new parks, civic and cultural facilities, amenities for pedestrians and bicyclists, and parking enhancements. These City projects will be complemented by the arrival of the Exposition Light Rail line to Santa Monica, a major regional transit improvement. Private development will also complement public investment to create vibrant new commercial and residential spaces.
Where and when will these projects be built?
Santa Monica is continuously in the process of updating its infrastructure and improving the City for residents, employees, and visitors. However, the major projects that are the focus of the “Be Excited! Be Prepared” campaign will be under construction from 2011 through roughly 2015. The “Be Excited! Be Prepared” web site features an interactive map that shows where all of the projects are located in the City, and provides estimated construction start dates. The first projects to begin construction are the Expo Light Rail, 20th Street and Cloverfield streetscape improvements, the Ocean Park Blvd Green Street , and The Civic Center Village, Palisades Garden Walk & Town Square, and the Parking Structure 6 rebuild.
How do these projects fit into a broad vision for Santa Monica’s future?
Santa Monica has a well-developed community and strategic planning tradition that involves strong community involvement. The projects being built over the next few years will help realize the vision that Santa Monicans have developed for the City through planning efforts such as the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), Civic Center Specific Plan, focused Downtown/Civic Center planning, and the draft Bike Master Plan.
What can I be excited to see once this work is complete?
These projects will bring new amenities and resources to the City in the following ways:
- Increased opportunities for and access to alternative forms of transportation including transit, walking, and biking.
- Exciting new open spaces that will connect the heart of the City.
- New cultural amenities such as improved performance and theater spaces and a new community library.
- Improved linkages between the Civic Center, Downtown, and Coastal areas.
- Parking and circulation improvements.
How can I be prepared for possible construction impacts?
The “Be Excited! Be Prepared” web site features the following ways to stay informed and be prepared:
- A link to the Know Before You Go web site with information on street and lane closures
- Sign up information for SM Alerts, which provides Know Before You Go traffic and construction updates via text message or email
- A comprehensive Facebook page for major city construction updates and streaming Twitter feeds for some major projects currently under construction
- A calendar with key construction dates for major public projects
- A link to real time parking information.
How can I stay informed about the progress of the projects?
The “Be Excited! Be Prepared” web site includes updated information on key capital improvement projects, including project descriptions, photos, information and resources, and project contact information. You can also sign up for email updates on “Be Excited! Be Prepared” projects overall, and many projects have opportunities to sign up for project-specific updates. Where possible, project pages will include video content or web cams of the project sites as well.
How can I ask a question or submit a comment?
- Submit questions or comments anytime via Santa Monica’s Government Outreach Customer Service System. Your request will automatically be sent to the right staff member, and you will receive a tracking number and a response within ten days - though most requests are handled in less time.
- Project pages include contact phone numbers for each project. You can also call City Hall at (310) 458-8411.
- With questions about the "Be Excited! Be Prepared" information campaign, email firstname.lastname@example.org.


Why, because he was a convicted felon. Now I can understand owning a gun, but a single bullet? A pencil is more dangerious than a bullet. His fists are more lethal than a bullet. a 22 caliber round has all the force of a fist. Can We say, over zealous Judge?
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What is Bridget Moynahan's Net Worth? The actress currently stars as Erin Reagan on the CBS drama 'Blue Blood.'
Best recognized as the former girlfriend of NFL star Tom Brady, Bridget Moynahan's dozen credits in high-profile projects make her a star in her own right. She currently stars as Erin Reagan on the fan-favorite CBS drama Blue Bloods, running since September 2010. Bridget also has credits in John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, The Journey Home, and Eli Stone.
Kathryn Bridget Moynahan was born on April 28, 1971, in Binghamton, New York. She made her way into Hollywood as a model while attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After a significant exposure via magazines, commercials, and department-store catalogs, Moynahan landed her first feature film role, Rachel, in the 2000 hit teen musical comedy-drama Coyote Ugly.
Bridget Moynahan's net worth revealed!
Moynahan has amassed a striking net worth through her decades-long career in showbiz. As per Celebrity Net Worth, the Blue Bloods star has an estimated net worth of $25 million. And since the CBS show has been a constant in Bridget's career since its inception, it is also reported that the actress rakes an estimated $100,000 per episode. The figure used to be an estimated $60,000 per episode initially.
Bridget made her feature debut in 'Coyote Ugly.' Photo Source: Instagram
Moynahan was motivated to pursue a career in showbiz because of the high pay. Bridget started appearing in fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle in her teenage years and was impressed by the jobs' steep pay. A young Moynahan knew better when she branched her career into acting; "I loved being a model, but I knew it would never last," Bridget once confessed.
Moynahan's feature debut, and her breakthrough, Coyote Ugly, was a blockbuster. It grossed $113.9 million against a budget of $45 million and even became a cult classic. Before the big break, Moynahan had roles in Sex and the City and Row Your Boat. Bridget's next big project, a role alongside John Cusack in the 2001 romantic-comedy Serendipity,was well received.
Moynahan reportedly earns an estimated $100,000 per episode in 'Blue Bloods.' Photo Source: Instagram
The actress landed her next role opposite Ben Affleck and Morgon Freeman in the spy thriller The Sum of All Fears, which grossed $193.9 million against a budget of $68 million. The Binghamton-born actress shared a screen with Will Smith in her next blockbuster, I, Robot; the sci-fi film grossed a whopping $353.1 million.
Moynahan guest-starred in 'And Just Like That.' Photo Source: Instagram
2005 to 2007 was a busy period for the bustling period for the actress; she had starring roles in films like Lord of War, Prey, Grey Matter, Noise, while also starring in the ABC serial drama Six Degrees. Moynahan played Keanu Reeves' deceased wife in the action film John Wick and reprised the role in its sequel in 2017. Bridget last starred in the action film Crown Vic and in And Just Like That.
Bridget Moynahan reacts to Tom Brady's retirement!
The Blue Bloods star dated NFL star Tom Brady for three years, from 2004 to 2006. The former couple shares a son, John Edward Thomas "Jack" Moynahan, born after their split in August 2007, but despite media's claims about the bitter relationship between them, Bridget and Brady have time and again assured fans of amicable ties and the actress recently reiterated her stance.
Bridget wishes her baby's daddy all the best after his retirement announcement. Source: US Weekly
After weeks of speculation, Brady made the news of his retirement official on February 1, and Moynahan had the best reaction to it. The actress posted a picture of her ex-boyfriend in his Bucs uniform and wrote, "So proud of @tombrady. Yesterday and today and I know you will do great things tomorrow. Looking forward to the next steps."
Many friends and fans applauded the actress's attitude and labeled her "an inspiration" for estranged partners with kids. Moynahan married businessman Andrew Frankel in 2015 and is a stepmother to his three sons from a previous marriage. Brady shares two kids with model Gisele Bündchen, who he married in 2009.
For more information and news on your favorite stars, stay connected to glamour fame.

domain: celebrity


The market weakness we experienced this past week does not appear to be associated with any one event, but rather seems to be the result of a few factors.
- Uncertainty around the timing of Fed “lift-off” continues to give the markets concern; markets hate uncertainty, and this is a key area of confusion.
- The narrative around weaker growth in China, and emerging markets more broadly, has spilled over into commodity and currency markets, causing a new wave of risk-aversion.
- A general lack of economic data has created a bit of a news vacuum, causing increased focus on the aforementioned developments.
- Friday’s decline was 531 points in the DJIA, which was a loss of -3.1%. During this bull market there have been 11 similar daily declines of that size (or larger), and in every instance the market went on to new highs. So yesterday’s decline, by itself, does not mean we’re in a bear market.
- This week’s loss in the S&P 500 Index was -5.7%. Since 1940, there have been 38 weekly declines of this size (or larger). Surprisingly, there were 3 times as many double-digit gains three months later, than there were double-digit losses. So this week’s decline doesn’t necessarily indicate more big losses ahead.
- The market is now the most oversold since the 2011 correction lows. Historically, readings such as this indicate a high probability of a rally or bounce in the week ahead.
The last several years have been relatively calm for the U.S. stock market. For perspective, this 6+ year bull market has gone 1,418 calendar days without a 10% correction, which is the third longest such streak in the last half-century. After this week, the market (S&P 500) has now experienced an intra-year decline of -7.5% from its recent high. In reality, intra-year declines of 5% or worse are not unusual at all. In fact, it’s been 20 years since we experienced a year without at least a 5% decline.
The chart below illustrates a key point when it comes to market corrections. It shows intra-year stock market declines for the S&P 500 (red dot and number), as well as the market’s return for the full year (gray bar) since 1980. Note: the 2015 YTD return is through 7/31/15. The dots show the biggest peak-to-trough decline that occurred within each year. The dots are, in a sense, inevitable as the market doesn’t move in a straight line. Notice that the average annual peak-to-trough decline has been 14.2%. As these corrections occur each year, it’s normal for investors to get worried and wonder whether they should abandon the stock market all together. However, the reality is that in 27 of the last 35 years (77% of the time), the market has actually ended up for the year. What is clear is that the market is capable of recovering from intra-year drops and finishing the year in positive territory, which should encourage investors to stay the course when markets get choppy. In summary, history is heavily on the side of investors who don’t overreact to market corrections.
We’re not relaying these facts to downplay the market’s weakness (which technical indicators are confirming), but to convey that this correction may not be a full scale bear market. While there are some deep and growing concerns, we cannot say with certainty that we are in a bear market… at least not yet.
Because Friday closed on the low, we could very well see selling pressure spill over into Monday’s open. However, it is the rebound after that we will be closely watching. If we continue to see deterioration in both fundamental and technical indicators that indicate we are in a bear market and this isn’t just a correction, then we will look to increase both our cash reserve and defensive sector allocations.
As always, we provide a FREE 2nd Opinion Portfolio Review and would be more than happy to discuss your financial planning goals with you – please click here to schedule your meeting, or give us a call at 913.402.6099.
John P. Chladek, MBA, CFP® is the President of Chladek Wealth Management, LLC, a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm specializing in helping families and couples who are not yet retired realize their financial goals. For more information, visit http://www.chladekwealth.com.


Clean Energy, Agricultural Revitalization, and Environmental Conservation Converge in this Home-Grown Renewable Energy Project
A longstanding debate about renewable energy development is playing out all over the western US. The US has committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels toward renewables, like solar and wind, in a much needed effort to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change. Conservationists—who by and large favor renewable energy—are at the same time concerned about the environmental effects of clean energy projects built in our many open spaces. They fear renewables, local habitat conservation, and agriculture cannot coexist.
Intersect Power disagrees. Their proposed Aramis Renewable Energy Project—which will feature 100 Megawatts of solar power and battery storage with the capability of powering more than 25,000 homes annually—is the revolutionary renewable energy project in Alameda County that’s as committed to habitat protection and agriculture revitalization as it is renewable energy production. Intersect Power, a Bay Area business, has been evaluating opportunities that would bring sustainable, clean energy home to the Bay Area, and with Aramis they believe they’ve found it. Here’s why.
First things first: location. Bay Area conservationists have argued against clean energy production in the past, namely the wind farms in the Altamont Pass. While ranchers were happy to lease land still available for cattle grazing, here conservationists were concerned for the safety of predatory birds. There are no such concerns at the proposed location of Aramis. In fact, conservation groups like the Audubon Society have praised Intersect Power for siting and designing the 350-acre site—95% of which will be open green space—with the vitality of the local raptor population and other wildlife in mind. Other environmental watchdog groups, like the Sierra Club, also support the project.
The proposed location, just north of 580 east of N. Livermore Blvd, is also ideal from an agricultural standpoint. Intersect’s mission has long been to find and repurpose land that has impaired soils that lack habitat provisions for native plants and animals, and redevelop them to optimize three practices: green energy, enhanced habitat characteristics, and farm-to-table regenerative agriculture. The Livermore site fits the bill with a lack of irrigation water and finicky soils where traditional grazing and hay production have both struggled to be profitable and left the land largely inhospitable to wildlife. It’s a win-win. By circumventing the struggle between green energy production, habitat, and agricultural concerns, Intersect is hoping their model will pave the way for future solar park siting and design. The project will actually contribute to the agricultural character of the valley as sheep and poultry will graze on the project site, and a portion of the project footprint will be set aside for a honey bee apiary fed by pollinator friendly plants.
Intersect Power has gone above and beyond to create an eco-friendly solar farm capable of powering tens of thousands of homes, providing 400 living-wage jobs through their partnership with five local construction crafts in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and also offsetting 188,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution every single year. Because of the location’s proximity to the Cayetano PG&E substation, the firm does not have to build expensive infrastructure to connect the project to the electrical grid, further decreasing its footprint on the surrounding area and reducing the cost of energy to ratepayers. Local procurement of materials and equipment is being prioritized, particularly from EBCE member cities like Oakland, Hayward, and Berkeley.
Minimal environmental impact is a crucial goal at the Aramis Renewable Energy project. Consider: the entire solar farm will be lined with lush trees and shrubs, making it invisible from the road. Inside, fences are built 6 inches off the ground to allow for free mobility of wildlife, an enticing feature for the valley’s native small and medium mammal populations. Cayetano Creek and its floodplain will be preserved, as will all native riparian vegetation; Aramis can be built without uprooting a single tree. Instead, pollinator friendly vegetation will be planted, improving habitat conditions for native insects and small birds. Vegetation will be kept at a height optimal for small and medium raptor foraging – and these birds are known to thrive by hunting within solar arrays in the Central Valley.
Intersect is also partnering with local park districts to plan hiking trails along the Cayetano Creek with educational placards about solar energy and the environment. They will also provide opportunities for East Bay schools to teach students about renewable energy, conservation, and regenerative agriculture. The Aramis Project does what clean energy projects everywhere are attempting: it creates sustainable energy while coexisting with the natural and human environment.
Intersect Power acknowledges other concerns. Proponents of Measure D—which allocates a certain amount of the Livermore Valley as open space—are concerned this project, while compatible with the voter-approved measure, may encourage an influx of other solar projects to the valley. This argument is well-intentioned, but misinformed. The Aramis Solar Project has secured the last remaining interconnection position at the PG&E Cayetano Substation as it is currently configured. A future project attempting to interconnect to the PG&E Cayetano Substation would require substantial infrastructure upgrades, upwards of $25 million, making immediate development unlikely. The beauty of the Aramis project is that it enhances, not harms, the surrounding environment and is compatible with both existing and anticipated local policy.
There doesn’t have to be a debate between conservationism and renewable energy development. By building intentionally with plenty of open space for sheep to graze, bees to forage, and raptors to hunt, at a fallow location, Intersect has proven it can be done responsibly and sustainably. The Livermore Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group, the East Bay Leadership Council, IBEW Union Local 595, as well as environmental groups all agree: now is the time for projects like the Aramis Renewable Energy project, which fulfill the urgent need for a sustainable energy system while conserving — and even enhancing — the local environment.
“The Aramis Solar Energy Generation and Storage Project is critical to addressing the climate crisis and need for alternative energy sources to support California’s climate change goals to derive 50 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030,” says Bill Quirk, California State Assemblymember, District 20. “This project presents Alameda County with an opportunity to be a regional leader in renewable energy advancement for a more resilient future.”
If you have questions or concerns or just want to learn more about this generational opportunity for Alameda County’s clean energy, visit intersectpower.com/contactus or email email@example.com. They look forward to hearing from the community so that we can work together toward a clean, sustainable future for all.


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Set you table in style, and share your thanks with this cute craft idea where I turned wood slices into cute pumpkin chalkboard napkin rings.
It’s time to Celebrate, and this rustic wood chalkboard trivet would be a perfect addition to your holiday table. I painted a large wood slice bright red lipstick red and then added a clear chalkboard paint on top. It turned out gorgeous! Plus learn how to easily transfer any image onto your chalkboard surface.

domain: hobby


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On 1 Nov. 1954 the National Liberation Front (FLN) went over to open warfare against the French administration and armed forces. For details of history 1958–62 see p. 76 The Statesman’s Year-Book, 1982–83. A cease-fire agreement was reached on 18 March 1962, and Gen. de Gaulle declared Algeria independent on 3 July 1962; the Republic was declared on 25 Sept. 1962.
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Books of Reference
- Statistical Information: The Service de Statisque Générale publishes the annual Statistique Google Scholar
- Générale de l’Algérie, Documents statistiques sur le commerce de l’Algérie (from 1902).Google Scholar
- Home, A., A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954–1962. London, 1977Google Scholar
- Knapp, W., North West Africa: A Political and Economic Survey. OUP, 1977Google Scholar
- Lawless, R. I., Algeria. [Bibliography] Oxford and Santa Barbara, 1981Google Scholar
- Ottaway, D., Algeria: The Politics of a Socialist Revolution. Berkeley, 1970Google Scholar

domain: history


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Rep. Nunes on FBI Malfeasance: 'Who's Going to Jail?'
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes blasted the Justice Department Thursday night on Fox News' The Ingraham Angle, saying it held back key texts between FBI lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page sought by his committee.
Nunes was incensed that he had to find out about the revealing texts from Inspector General Michael Horowitz even though those documents were "pertinent" to his committee's FISA abuse investigation. The text in question shows Page fretting in August 2016 that Trump might win the presidency and Strzok replying: “No. No he won’t. We’ll stop it.”
"These are emails or text messages that somebody held [sic] from us, so every day that goes by, there is a new example of obstruction of a congressional investigation," a peeved Nunes told Fox host Laura Ingraham.
"Why wasn't that given to Congress?" he asked. "Why did I find out about that today at noon? I mean -- this is a classic case of obstruction," the congressman argued. "Who's going to go investigate these guys?"
Nunes added that his committee would continue to request documents and "ultimately this is all going to spill out."
When that happens, he said, people are going to ask, "What are you going to do? Who's going to get busted? Who's going to go to jail?"
Nunes also said for the first time that he knew that the FBI was sitting on Anthony Weiner's laptop in September 2016 because FBI whistleblowers had reached out to his committee with the information.

domain: news


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A Mogul man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his brother after an argument over a cellphone.
Robert Davis, 48, must serve 22 years before he becomes eligible for parole under the sentence handed down Wednesday by Washoe District Judge Scott Freeman. Davis was convicted by a jury in June of first-degree murder.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports family members called the killing in September a tragedy. They said the victim, 43-year-old Matthew Davis, suffered from mental illness and did not take his medications.


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Concert Band - Grade 3
Arranged by Jack Bullock. Concert Band. Belwin Concert Band. Multicultural. Conductor Score & Parts. 252 pages. Published by Belwin Music (AP.BD9767).
Item Number: AP.BD9767
Much of the music of Italy is as rich and vibrant as the collective personality of its people. Five melodies, "O Sole Mio," "Tarantella," Prelude to Act III of La Traviata," "The Carnival of Venice," and "Funiculi, Funicula," are combined to give your audience the flavor, charm and zest of a magnificent land, its people and their culture. Capriciously entertaining! (duration 4:18).

domain: library


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“The Missing of the Somme” is carved onto the Thiepval Memorial.
As for the Somme, that terrible battle, Davis points out that more than 19,000 Brits died there.
The Missing of the Somme was not merely written as a diversion from rewriting Tender is the Night.
In The Missing of the Somme, one war, the Great War, is more directly his subject.
Smith survived the night patrol, and met Tolkien again on the fringes of the Battle of the Somme that summer.
One followed the right bank of the Somme, passed Peronne, and thence on to Amiens.
Olivers division had gone down to the Somme in July for the great push.
He told us that his guns had had a wonderful target on the Somme in July 1916.
But the real terribleness of the Somme was not in the towns or on the roads.
By the date of the Somme Battle, indeed—in the autumn, that is, of the same year—it had risen enormously.


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Syrian rebels have rejected claims that government forces and allies, including fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, have taken back parts of Aleppo recently captured by rebels.
Hassan al-Eshra, a fighter in the Jaysh al-Islam armed group, said that it and other rebel groups were still in control of the flashpoint neighbourhood of Ramosa on Tuesday evening, despite government attempts to recapture it.
“We haven’t fallen back from any of the sites … we took from the regime three days ago,” Eshra told Al Jazeera by telephone from the frontline. “Yesterday the regime tried [to recapture Ramosa] three times, but it is strategically incapable.”
Syrian rebel groups have said that they are fighting to hang on to key areas in the northern city as government forces and allies escalated attacks.
Eshra told Al Jazeera that rebels were still in control of the Telat al-Snobarat area on the southwestern edge of the city.
“This area is still under our control,” he said, adding that rebels targeted an industrial area and gas field north of the city with several missiles.
Fatah Halab, a coalition of national and local rebel groups, broke the government-imposed siege on the city over the weekend along with Jaish al-Fatah, or the Army of Conquest.
The Army of Conquest is a coalition of rebel groups that includes Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly the al-Nusra Front).
The Syrian government has sent thousands of reinforcements to the city in recent days as part of an attempt to reverse gains made by rebel groups.
Hezbollah’s Al Manar television channel and Al Mayadeen, a news channel close to the Syrian government, reported earlier on Tuesday that pro-government fighters, supported by heavy air strikes, had recaptured Telat al-Snobarat.
Earlier on Tuesday, the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least nine people were killed in government strikes on eastern, rebel-controlled Aleppo.
Injuries were also reported in the government-held part of the city as rebel groups fired shells into the area.
Baraa al-Tello, a rebel fighter from the Harakat Fajer Shahba faction of the Nour Al-Din Al-Zenki armed group, recalled the offensive that broke a government siege on the city three days earlier.
“I was part of the the latest attack when we broke the siege,” he told Al Jazeera. “War planes, helicopters and every kind of weapon that exists were used by the regime to hit us.”
Although claiming rebels still controlled Telal al-Snobarat, Tello said: “The fighting is still very furious, but all of our men are doing their best to advance there and in other areas.”
People across the city set tyres ablaze and burned other items to create a de facto no-fly zone and impair the ability of government fighter jets and helicopters to hit their targets.
The United Nations on Tuesday called for humanitarian access to the city amid fears that trapped civilians would go short of food and water.
“These cuts are coming amid a heatwave, putting children at a grave risk of waterborne diseases,” Hanaa Singer, UNICEF’s representative in Syria, said in a statement.
The statement said Aleppo’s civilians, particularly children, could face a “humanitarian catastrophe” if fighting intensified.
Fayez Sandeh, a resident of Aleppo’s Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, said very little food or medicine had come into the city in recent days as fighting continued.
“Fuel hasn’t entered yet and the electricity isn’t regularly [there],” he told Al Jazeera. “We haven’t had water for more than 10 days. We use well water, but it’s not healthy for humans. We don’t have any other options.”
The Syrian conflict started with peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, but it quickly evolved into a full-on civil war that has raged for more than five years.
The Syrian Observatory estimates that more than 280,000 people have been killed, while efforts to negotiate a resolution have repeatedly failed.
Additional reporting from Aleppo by Zouhir Al Shimale: @ZouhirAlShimale


Muskogee County District Judge Timothy King on Wednesday scheduled an additional status hearing in the case against Jarron Deajon Pridgeon.
Pridgeon, 26, is accused of killing his brother Javarion Lee, 24, and five children, ranging in age from 2 to 9 years, on Feb. 2, 2021. He has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder in relation to those deaths.
Pridgeon also is accused of shooting Brittany Shakeria Anderson, the mother of the five children, and Pridgeon has been charged with one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and one count of possessing firearms after conviction or during probation.
King set another status hearing for April 13. Gretchen Mosely, Pridgeon's attorney was present by Zoom meeting and stated the need for the extra time to gather more health records for her client.
"We will have to do out of state subpoenas, or out of state medical records," Mosely said. "We will do that in conjunction with other investigative steps that we would be taking."
King addressed the issue of the preliminary hearing transcript requested by the Phoenix in June.
"I had several conversations with Judge Bret Smith and other individuals about prior assurances that the transcript would be done by Dec. 15," King said. "I still have yet to receive the preliminary hearing/adjudication transcript. While we were prepared for the hearing, while it has taken the longest time to evolve, it is still an important issue none the less.
"I will remain on top of that."
Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Edwards told the court that his office has received nearly 1,000 pages of DHS records.
"We have four accordion folders with DHS records that we received recently," Edwards said. "We will be turning those over hopefully by the end of next week."


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Sony today announced the launch of a limited edition Destiny 2 DualShock 4 controller for the PlayStation 4. The controller is going to be launched in September. The company has also launched a handful of new Destiny 2 PlayStation 4 bundles for customers in Europe.
The limited edition Destiny 2 DualShock 4 controller features a customized touchpad with the Destiny 2 logo as well as the character class insignia. All of these new details are plastered on the controller in gold. Sony has already announced a Glacier White PS4 Pro bundle in the run up to the Destiny 2 beta.
It has now announced that a Jet Black version of the bundle will be available as well. The Destiny 2 PlayStation 4 bundle includes a PS4 Pro, Blu-ray disc copy of the game with exclusive PS4 content, Destiny 2 expansion pass, and premium digital content.
Sony has confirmed that this limited edition controller is not going to be available in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Russia. Customers in supported markets are advised to contact their local retailers for more information about price and stock availability of the controller and these new bundles.
Destiny 2, one of the most highly anticipated games of this year, will be released on September 6th. The limited edition controller will also be released then.
Filed in blog.eu.playstation.. Source:


A new commercial site with limited land space in Stafford County, VA, required
a new stormwater management system to manage runoff from roofs, parking
lots and other impervious surfaces.
Engineers designed a system using a combination of stormwater Best
Management Practices (BMPs) in a Low Impact Development (LID) approach
to achieve runoff reduction. The engineers included a stormwater filtration
system prior to infiltration to meet nutrient removal requirements enacted to
protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
After considering removal capabilities, size, and long term maintenance
costs, engineers selected a Jellyfish Filter with a curb inlet configuration. The
Jellyfish Filter is an advanced stormwater treatment technology that combines
pretreatment and membrane filtration in a compact stand-alone solution. This combined treatment approach provide the
needed water quality before sending clean, filtered water into the infiltration gallery, providing a long-term, smart approach to
reduce maintenance costs and runoff volume.
The small and shallow vault is possible as a result of the high flow Jellyfish Filter membrane cartridges and superior pollutant
removal performance. The Jellyfish Filter provides curb-level treatment and maintenance upstream of infiltration. Annual
inspection is achieved at grade through the large hatch opening. Maintaining the 15-inch, light-weight (less than 10-pounds
each) Jellyfish cartridges can be performed from grade. The cartridge tentacles can be removed, rinsed with a garden hose and
re-used, reducing maintenance costs.


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Researchers aiming to reconstruct human food tubeFebruary 21st, 2008 - 11:42 am ICT by admin
Singapore, Feb 21 (DPA) Researchers are aiming to reconstruct the human food tube that connects the mouth and stomach to grant relief to oesophagus cancer patients, said a report published Thursday. Associate Professor Sandy Chian of the Nanyang Technological University and his team are working on growing new tissue for the oesophagus.
They have successfully grown the tissue in the lab, The Straits Times reported. The next phase involves fine-tuning techniques to transfer the tissue into animal test subjects and eventually humans.
Cancer of the oesophagus affects about 550 patients annually in the city-state.
The cancerous portion of the throat is surgically removed, and the stomach is stretched to replace the food tube, usually resulting in uncomfortable side effects such as frequent regurgitation of stomach acids.
Chian said that he hopes to eliminate such problems by replacing the missing oesophageal issue.
Tags: animal test, associate professor, cancer of the oesophagus, cancer patients, chian, food tube, human food, nanyang technological university, regurgitation, singapore, stomach acids, straits times, test subjects, tuning techniques, uncomfortable side effects

domain: medical


Edyta Wisniewska: “Climate adaptation is of the utmost importance, especially in urban areas. More people live in cities nowadays than in rural areas. The concentration of people and assets means that the impact of natural disasters and a changing climate on society and the economy can be devastating. While national leaders often struggle with protracted negotiations, city leaders have started working on concrete projects.”
In Katowice there was every reason to hold a dedicated Urban Day on 8 December, co-organised by NWP. It featured high level speakers including Elena Visnar-Malinovska (European Commission), Diane d’Arras (International Water Association), Barney Dickson (Global Center on Adaptation) and Torgny Holmgren (Stockholm International Water Institute).
The interest shown in Urban Day expressed the widely shared belief that cities should share more knowledge and experience. IWA President, Diane d’Arras, underlined the importance of supporting cities to achieve water related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate agreements more quickly. This could be done through sharing a common language that strengthens City to City learning and implementing projects with multiple stakeholders.
More people live in cities nowadays. Climate adaptation is of the utmost importance.
8 December was dedicated to ‘Urban Day’. At the Polish pavilion a workshop was held, co-organised by NWP, focusing on the Cities for Climate theme.
First step towards European Urban Water Partnership
At COP24 Polish and Dutch organisations took the initiative to collaborate on the development of holistic change and concrete actions for ‘climate adaptive cities’ as a first step towards a European Urban Water Partnership. This collaboration was initiated, facilitated and supported by NWP within the framework of the Dutch Government’s Partners for Water Programme. The initiative is an important follow up to NWP’s efforts at the City Leaders Forum at the Amsterdam International Water Week (AIWW) 2017 and the AIWW Summit 2018, where several international partnerships on climate adaptation were established.
Edyta Wisniewska: “COP24 proved that true progress was made, especially when it comes to urban climate adaptation. A strong foundation with concrete plans has been laid and implementation is now within reach. We can really get started in 2019. I am counting on the fact that in 11 months’ time, during the Amsterdam International Water Week 2019, we can conclude that we have taken big steps.”
Besides Breda, Wroclaw and Zwolle, urban planning and design offices KuiperCompagnons and KCAP, knowledge institute Deltares, engineering consultancy Arcadis, the Climate Campus and Polish water utility MPWiK and NGO Sendzimir are involved in the cooperation. A key element in the cooperation is ‘learning by doing’ – working together on each other’s urban climate adaptation projects. One or more projects in each city will be selected to showcase rainwater management and the designing of green-blue infrastructure as steps towards creating a resilient urban environment.
A strong foundation with concrete plans has been laid.


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The International Menopause Society is marking the day by publishing a report encouraging women to “have a health audit – and take action at the time of the menopause to avoid chronic diseases in later life.”
Mind the Gap… in your knowledge: Urgent Need to Educate Women and Healthcare Professionals in Good Health Post 50
At the British Menopause Society 24th annual conference, which was held in Harrogate last week, chairman Eddie Morris launched the ‘Mind the Gap. . . ‘ campaign.
The embarrassing bodies live clinic is open once again for appointments with some of the UK's top medical experts.
Are you or someone you know starting the change of life? Clearblue is looking for women going through the menopause to provide daily early morning urine samples for up to one menstrual cycle.


Australian farmers, landholders and environmental campaigners have staged what they're calling "the world's longest protest" in opposition to fracking and coal mining. In rural communities across the country, farm-workers vehicles lined the roads to raise awareness of the plight of the industry.
Protestors angry at their right-wing government's pro-fossil fuel, anti-environmentalist stance have created massed columns of farm vehicles, including trucks and tractors right across the continent in a bid to protect their drought-hit farms.
The protest was organised by the Lock The Gate Alliance, a pressure group set up in 2010 to try and protect rural industries and communities from the encroachment of Australia's increasingly powerful fossil fuel mining lobby. In a statement, the group said: "Australia's water is under threat from risky gas and coal mining. Mining expansion creates a small profit for a few, yet permanently damages and contaminates water sources for many."
"People are concerned that not enough is being done to protect water resources from unconventional coal and gas mining," Georgina Woods, a spokesperson for Lock The Gate, told the Daily Mail Australia. "The protest is about getting the word out to candidates and politicians."
She added: "Being on the highway, everyone who is on the move can see it. There are people in remote communities that feel they are not being addressed by mainstream politics."
The protest looped right around the county's south coast along major highways, starting at Alice Springs near the centre of the continent, looping north and then west through all the major cities, and ending in the north-east, near Cairns. Protestors all along the way held up signs and banners.
Lock the Gate Alliance is a cross-party coalition of campaigners, including the former Green leader Bob Brown, as well as various conservative personalities. Its mission is "to protect Australia's natural, environmental, cultural and agricultural resources from inappropriate mining and to educate and empower all Australians to demand sustainable solutions to food and energy production".


Black Rock Desert, Nevada plays host to well over 70 thousand people every year from August 28 to September 5th, prior to this year Corovavirus pandemic of course, which was this year’s event cancelled.
Burning Man Festival first kicked off in 1986 on San Francisco Beach as three friends built an improvised wooden figure and dragged it to Baker beach for Summer Solstice. In celebration, they set fire to the wooden figure, which drew attention from a large crowd of inquisitive and curious folk who came to watch the fire burn. 34 years later, the festival is now housed in the Nevada Desert and draws crowds of over 70,000 revellers every single year. True story.
Time lapse video from Burning Man 2012.
After celebrating its 30th anniversary a couple of years back, the iconic festival stands out from the rest for obvious reasons. Desert storms, leave no trace ethos, its complete lack of currency, out of this world production and sound, plus the weird and wonderful art cars that roam the desert 24 hours a day.
The festival has claimed legendary status over the years, becoming the go-to for festival goers and bucket list enthusiasts. If you’ve never been, we’ve got some images and videos below that take you right into the depths of the festival, and will make you want to get saving the pennies for your next festival adventure in 2021.
You can get lost down a rabbit hole of videos, but here are some that capture the magic of the Nevada desert.
Jan Blmqvist – Mayan Warrior stage 2019
Lee Burridge – Robot Heart stage 2014.
Carl Cox – Burning Man 2019.
Pachanga Boys – Robot Heart Stage.
Art cars roaming the desert.


The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) seeks applications for a national training and technical assistance provider to support jurisdictions’ efforts to improve juvenile records expungement and sealing in order to eliminate barriers to successful reentry.
This program furthers the DOJ’s mission to keep the country and communities safe and protect civil rights and civil liberties by supporting efforts to eliminate barriers to successful reentry and recidivism reduction.
Goals, Objectives and Deliverables Goals
- The goal of this program is to help jurisdictions improve their records expungement and sealing policies, programs, practices, and resources for young poeple. Recognizing that the breadth and reach of juvenile court records far exceed the capacity of young people, youth defense delivery systems, or juvenile courts to meaningfully address strictly on an individual, case-by-case basis and that individual record-clearance efforts too often financially burden young people and families and add to juvenile courts’ and youth defense delivery systems’ overwhelming caseloads, a primary goal of this program is to increase the type and number of juvenile court records eligible for automatic expungement, expunction, and/or sealing.
- The national training and technical assistance (TTA) provider will provide training, technical assistance, and resources to jurisdictions seeking to improve their juvenile records expungement and sealing policies, programs, practices, and resources.
Focus areas the TTA provider should help jurisdictions to address include, but are not limited to:
- Expanding policies and implementation for the use of automatic juvenile record clearance.
- Identifying and eliminating systemic barriers to expungement (such as arbitrary or excessive age requirements and disqualifying factors, excessive waiting periods, onerous filing fees and requirements, and extremely complicated processes).
- Providing training and information to judges, court personnel, defenders, civil legal services providers, lawmakers, and/or other persons and entities poised to improve or assist with juvenile records clearance.
- Implementing tracking and notification systems to ensure young poeple and families are informed when a young person becomes eligible for expungement.
- Developing and implementing data collection frameworks and protocols to collect, analyze, and publish expungement-related data and use that data in decisionmaking.
- Educating/informing young people and families about the importance of records sealing and expungement as a way to provide better opportunities for young people and avoid recidivism.
- Providing direct legal assistance to young poeple and their families with the expungement process.
- Raising awareness nationally of other available resources (such as National Criminal History Improvement, or “NCHIP,” funds) that can be used by states to seal or expunge juvenile and criminal history information in accordance with state laws and policies.
Deliverables include, but are not limited to:
- Expanded use of automatic juvenile record clearance across jurisdictions.
- Publications, tools, practice guides, and/or other resources addressing the relevance and importance of expungement and record sealing; the harmful collateral consequences juvenile records have on reentering children and families; and curating best and promising record clearance policies, practices, and models.
- Training and technical assistance for judges, court personnel, defenders, civil legal services providers, lawmakers, and other persons and entities poised to improve or assist with juvenile records clearance.
- Data analyses and system assessments pertaining to juvenile records clearance to inform and spur reform. A national publication that summarizes the TTA project; objectively assesses or evaluates the impact of the implemented strategies; and captures early outcomes, lessons learned, and best and promising practices.
- Deliverables include, but are not limited to:
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 1
- Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount of Awards: $1,500,000.00
- Period of Performance Start Date: 10/1/23
- Period of Performance Duration (Months): 36
- Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation: $1,500,000.00
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Small businesses
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
For more information, visit Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention.


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Concerns as obesity surgery soars in Britain
Sunday 29 August 2010
British health campaigners warned Friday that surgery was being seen as an easy option to tackle obesity after new figures showed weight-loss operations have soared here in the past five years.
Figures from the state-run National Health Service's Information Centre showed 4,246 procedures for obesity were carried out in England in 2008-9, up from 480 in 2003-4 - an increase of 785 percent.
"These figures just show how bad things have got with the obesity epidemic," said Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum, which seeks to raise awareness of the impact that growing rates of obesity have on the NHS.
He warned people were turning to surgery rather than trying to shed the weight naturally, saying: "We have alternative ways of losing weight but when people realise this is a possibility, they could go for it.
"A lot of doctors are also starting to skirt around the rules and not insist on months of lifestyle change and pharmaceutical treatment - instead they are going straight for surgery."
But supporters of weight-loss operations argue they save the health service money, as obese people are at greater risk of dying or being hospitalised, and can suffer from a range of related illnesses.
Procedures include having a gastric band fitted, known as bariatric surgery, which reduces the size of the stomach, and a gastric bypass, where the small intestine is re-routed towards a small stomach pouch.
Peter Sedman, bariatric surgeon and spokesman for the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "The number of morbidly obese patients in the UK is increasing rapidly and we need to continue to put even more resources into what is proven to be a successful and cost-effective method of treatment.
"The burden on the NHS in years to come in obesity-related illness will otherwise be overwhelming."
A similar increase in surgery was recorded in a study published in the British Medical Journal on Friday. The researchers attributed part of this to an improved awareness among patients of surgery as a viable treatment option.
The NHS recommends surgery only for the morbidly obese - people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more - and patients must have failed first on other methods, such as traditional diets.
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No Females in Heat
Crate-Trained Dogs Only
Mike was great, would definitely use his services again.
Mike is a natural with dogs. He is very caring and enjoys having a pet in his life. I have never had any reservations about leaving my dog with him. Mike always takes the time to send pictures of my dog so I can see she’s having fun. I know she’s in good hands with Mike and I can leave without any worries. I highly recommend him, your pet will have a great ...
Mike made sure my pup was walked and fed on time. He was very responsible and made sure my dog was happy! Double thumbs up!
Experienced & Loving Foster For You
I’m Mike and I love dogs! I grew up helping my mom train dogs for Guiding Eyes so I have experience with pups of every age, size, breed, and personality! Once I finished grad school, I volunteered at local rescue organization which inspired me to foster puppies. I have always been a dog lover and this is a great opportunity to give back to my community, all the while meeting new furry friends!
What Mike would like to know about your dog
Before a stay, I’d be happy to set up a meet and greet so you can get to know me a little better. I like learning about your pup’s normal schedule and routine, favorite toys and treats, and if they have behavioral tendencies or medical issues I should be aware of. All breeds are welcome, but due to living in a rental property I try to keep the dogs that visit around ~40 pounds maximum. Puppies are always welcome, as i’ve been fostering them for the past seven years! I can’t wait to meet your furry pal.

domain: pet


Cold weather keeping you from hopping on the bike? Lighten your rides and keep up the body heat with the Pearl Izumi ELITE Thermal Knee Warmer. Composed of nylon, polyester, and Lycra® elastane, this one-of-a-kind arm warmer is perfect for enhancing those cooler days where you really want to work up a sweat.
This absolute essential for cool weather riding utilizes PI Dry™ technology for enhanced all-weather performance. But what is that? PI Dry™ is a hydrophobic treatment used on knit or woven fabrics that makes the fibers repel water without affecting the breathability or the feel of the fabric. The material is also upgraded with water-shedding Thermal Fleece for added protection against all forms of precipitation. Featuring the plush wide elastic binding, this silicone gripper hem allows for a warmer that won't fall down with every pedal stroke.
With a durable weatherproof fabric construction like the Pearl Izumi ELITE Thermal Knee Warmer, you can now splash through a puddle and the spray will simply runoff. Bright BioViz™ reflective elements allow you to ride with pride even in low-light conditions. These leg warmers come in pairs, and thanks to the unisex sizing and anatomic fit, you can treat your knees to the adventures they deserve.
- Thermal Fleece fabric with water-shedding PI Dry™ technology for all-weather performance
- Anatomic construction eliminates bunching through your full range of motion
- Plush wide elastic binding with silicone gripper for a stay-up fit
- BioViz™ reflective elements for low-light visibility
- Unisex sizing
- Composed of 56% nylon, 30% polyester, and 14% LYCRA® elastane


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Completely Custom Embroidered Jacket
Dispatches from a small business in
Materials: Black Faux Leather Jacket, Embroidery Thread
This jacket can be customised to say anything you want (even if it’s not bridal).
---------- JACKET & SIZING ----------
Please note that that the jacket is Vegan Faux Leather not real Leather.
Depending on what UK Size you are, the following jacket will be provided.
UK Size 4 : https://bit.ly/3EpJaTv
UK Size 6 : https://bit.ly/3EpJaTv
UK Size 8 : https://bit.ly/3EpJaTv
UK Size 10 : https://bit.ly/3EpJaTv
UK Size 12 : https://bit.ly/3EpJaTv
UK Size 14 : https://bit.ly/3EpJaTv
UK Size 16 : https://bit.ly/3EpJaTv
UK Size 18 : https://bit.ly/3ErFPmY
UK Size 20 : https://bit.ly/3ErFPmY
UK Size 22 : https://bit.ly/3ErFPmY
UK Size 24 : https://bit.ly/3ErFPmY
UK Size 26 : https://bit.ly/3ErFPmY
UK Size 28 : https://bit.ly/3keWz8T
UK Size 30 : https://bit.ly/3keWz8T
UK Size 32 : https://bit.ly/3keWz8T
If you have any queries about sizing, don't hesitate to contact us!
---------- DIGITAL PROOF ----------
When we receive your order, we will create the design and e-mail you a digital proof through ETSY messages for approval within 48 hours.
Production time begins once proof has been approved by you.
If we do not receive a response from you within 48 hours, we will start production.
Once production has started, unfortunately no further changes can be made.
---------- POSTAGE ----------
Express worldwide production & postage available upon request
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221 shop reviews5 out of 5 stars
Super friendly, fast contact. My special requests regarding the completely new design were easily addressed. The jacket absolutely exceeded my expectations.
Beautiful custom jacket and great service from Niamh. Can’t wait to wear it on my wedding day!
Absolutely stunning jacket and so comfy. Definitely needed for a windy Irish elopement 💖 Niamh worked with me to have the perfect colours and the date of our wedding incorporated into the design. The service was second to non! Thank you so much!
Seriously amazing! Worth every penny! I loved working together on the custom elements and she was so patient with me as I was trying to make it perfect. It fit well, I was worried it would be a little snug but it’s perfect as long as I don’t gain those holiday lbs 😂
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domain: design