NibbyPriest.com | Life On Purpose | Henderson KY

What is your earliest memory of the Holy Bible?

2011-01-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

That was a question our bible study leader Rev. Mary Wrye proposed to our bible study group this morning. Several related scripture verses and their challenges of memorizing scripture at a young age.

Mine was different than that. My first recollection of the Bible was my namesake Miss Mabel Nisbet McLaughlin and rather small black New Testament that sat on a marble top table. I was always told it was a special book and was always to be on top of other books.

To this day, I cannot see a bible put at the bottom of any stack of books. Some in my group said they were taught that the bible was never to be placed on the floor. I wasn’t taught that one but if the bible was put on the floor it was to be on top of other books.

Granny Mable always told me that book was special. She said if I was to ever be elected president of the United States that would be the bible that I would be sworn in on. She had great expectations of me.

Many times in Mrs. Willis Butler’s 4-6 grade Sunday School classes at my growing up church we were charged with memorizing the books of the bible. I never could do that. Later we were involved with bible drills. I couldn’t do that either. I thought they should let us use Bibles with tabbed markers for the books, but they said that was cheating.

Always during Vacation Bible School each year we would do a pledge to the bible. I remember it being something like this:

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

Thank goodness there was church music! For without church music and hymns I would not have learned any scripture at all.

Tell me about your earliest memory of the Bible?

Christmas memories of a ‘grand lady’

2010-12-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

This is a story that Hugh Edward Sanderfur –a long time radio and newspaper reporter in Henderson KY wrote about the lady who gave me the name Nibby. He wrote the story upon her death in 1971. It was very unusual for him to write about people on their death. Granny Mable was very special to him.

(A reprint from Gleaner December, 1971)

This is the story of the Christmas card that will not be delivered. Not this year.

But it had been every Christmas for the past 45 years because of the constant thoughtfulness of one of the truly grand ladies of my life--Miss Mabel Nisbet McLaughlin.

“Miss Mabel,” as she was known by her many friends and admirers, died last week (December 7, 1971).

But she will never really be gone as long as there are those to remember her role in their lives.

A group of men, no longer young, will always be proud to be identified as “Miss Mabel’s boys.”

They were fortunate enough, when in their early teens, to have the influence of this woman as a Sunday School teacher at First Methodist Church for a longer period than usual. This was simply because they would not be promoted.

But the Sunday did come when it had to be done. True to her strength of character. Miss Mabel insisted that she be the one to break the news to us. She explained that it was the orderly thing to do, for the good of the total church program. She expressed regret in losing us but encouraged us to move on to another teacher.

But our resistance was so strong that we walked out of the church, which broke up the group. Some did not return.

I did. The next Sunday, because of the strong encouragement of another stabilizing force in my life--my mother. But this left a void that could only be eased by the annual Christmas card, along with notes of encouragement at many points along the way when she knew her encouragement was needed.

This same feeling is shared by at least a dozen of my age group scattered across the nation. This is a living and loving monument to a lady who did so much without realizing how significant and meaningful was her contribution.

Miss Mabel was a skilled office worker before her retirement and was employed at Imperial Tobacco Co., where the Imperial Building is now located at Third and Water streets.

Aside from her dedication to the affairs of her church, she was one of the charter members of the Henderson Business and Professional Women’s Club, and contributed to its growth and success in past years.

Her “bread on the waters” came in the form of a young couple, Mr. and Mrs. Norris Priest who, several years ago, “adopted” Miss Mabel and brought much happiness and security into her life in her closing years.

They even brought her “grandchildren,” (Nibby and Neal) who helped to fill her heart with love and interest in living.

The devotion of this fine young family to this lady, who had outlived all of her own family, would make a great story of life and its compensations for those who entertain the proper values.

Gone is the flash of pleasant recollection when a letter would bear her familiar handwriting. But that is not needed for my mind to recall the pleasant relationship that we shared. Those memories will be re-lived always.

By Hugh E. Sanderfur (1912 to 1973)
The Gleaner Henderson Kentucky December 1971

It has been 39 years since Granny Mable died. She would be so proud to know that the family is working and living in downtown Henderson KY and that her home at 324 N Main is still being used as a private residence.

Who is someone who made a difference in you and or your families life?

What can you do this 2010 Christmas for someone who has outlived their own family?

Christ out of Christmas? Hogwash!

2010-12-05T13:00:00.000-06:00

A grade school teacher whom I know was told this year that he couldn’t put up any reference of Christmas in his class room (yes, Henderson County Schools) - no Christmas party, no Christmas Tree and no manger scene. When I was told the story, I was so mad and wanted to do something about this perceived injustice.

Until . . . my pastor shared the letter below at my church today.

I hear people talking about how Christ is being taken from Christmas. After reading this, I will not be participating in those conversations- what a waste of time. I will be doing what Christmas is all about –LOVE, showing GRACE and wishing everyone I come in contact with Merry Christmas! I truly hope that during this Christmas season all my actions show the Christ Child’s presence in my life.

Thanks Pastor Tim for sharing this “letter from Jesus”*.

Dear Children

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year. It was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival, although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children and grandchildren of your own. I don't care what you call the day.

If you want to celebrate My birth, just get along and love one another. Now, having said that...let Me go on... If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santa's and snowmen, and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that, there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees; you can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish...I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one about the vine, look up John 15:1-8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth, here is my wish list; choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know because they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home, not just during Christmas time, but all through the year. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing "George" complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year...then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past... ...and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of "nit-picking" about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" ,that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day, they'd close and let their employees spend the day at church and at home with their families

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary -- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts giving them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me. They will even make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions and words that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest.

Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love...and remember... I LOVE YOU!

Jesus

*According to the internets the author of this letter is anonymous.

What unique way are you sharing the LOVE and GRACE of Christmas 2010?

Christmas 2010-Things to do in Henderson KY

2010-11-30T17:30:00.000-06:00

This week a former resident of Henderson KY sent me an email and asked me about things to do in Henderson Kentucky this coming weekend for fun and to revive memories of living here in the past. Here is a short list of things for her to do that I came up with:

1. Watch the Merchants Christmas Parade live. If you are unable to watch live from downtown Henderson KY- go to DowntownHenderson.org and watch live the online streaming broadcast. The parade starts at the Main Street Rail Road overpass and circles around the block. The whole parade usually lasts around 2 hours. I would like to see this parade in future years moved to evening hours.

2. Eat at Downtown Diner on 1^st street. They have just recently renovated and have a nice new buffet.

3. Shop at Simon’s Fine Shoes and buy some Smartwool Socks. Your feet will never feel so good.

4. Visit Memories Past and Present – an antiques and gift shop located at 324 N Elm St in downtown Henderson with over 9000 square feet of display area. You surely will be able to find something there!

5. Have breakfast with Santa Clause at the St Paul’s Episcopal Church on Center Street from 8am till parade starts. This is a benefit for Riverview School which is also located in our downtown.

6. Check out the Historic Holiday Display at the Henderson County Welcome Center at the foot of 1^st Street on the banks of the Ohio River.

7. Eat at the newly renovated Wolf’s Tavern & Restaurant at 31 N Green. They just reopened under new management and a new menu. They serve lunch and dinner 6 days a week and offer a menu with quite the variety of food.

8. Buy some Safari Sunset Tea from Third Street House at 307 Third St.

9. Check out the “Christmas in the Park” light display in Central Park downtown.

10. Drive by Colonial Court (at the beginning of North Main St) and see a cute little neighborhood all decorated and lighted up for the Christmas Holiday. Probably one of the most spectacular views in the Downtown Henderson area.

11. Eat some fried chicken at Bon Ton Mini Mart 2036 Madison St Henderson KY.

12. Watch a movie at our NEW Movie Theater Showplace Cinema on US 41 North.

13. Hike the Trails at Audubon State Park then eat at Gene’s Restaurant.

14. Attend the Alice P Taylor Concert Sunday afternoon, December 5, 2010, at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church.

15. Spend the night in Henderson KY’s premier bed and breakfast The L&N Bed and Breakfast Ltd.

16. Check out my Peace Themed light display at my home 330 N Water St, Henderson KY

What would you be adding to this list?

Mantra Review

2010-11-12T05:15:00.000-06:00

Now with the help social media we encouraged Office Depot to be a team player in Henderson KY -I need to take time to review to myself and to pledge to others -my mantra for using social media.

What Nibby Priest wants to be on Social Media is:

Genuine, Honest, Authentic, Encouraging, Enlightening, Educating, Professional and Positive !

What about You?

47 years selling and repairing Jewelry in Downtown Henderson KY

2010-11-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Louise Mattingly (AKA Hat Lady) is retiring today from Campbell’s Jeweler.

She has worked there for over 47 years and is 84 years old.

What a career of selling and repairing jewelry for the folks in Henderson KY.

Campbell Jeweler has been in operation in downtown Henderson KY since 1962.

Louise is often called Mrs. Campbell. Her almost instant reply is “oh I’m not-- my husband Bill had hair!” Louise is known for her fine fashions and impeccable style and wit. She will be missed in downtown.

A reception is being held in her honor today at Campbell’s Jeweler from 10 am till 4 pm.

What is your favorite story about Louise?

Halloween Memories: Weak Kool-Aid, Reese Cups & Church Fortune Tellers

2010-10-31T12:00:00.000-05:00

This blog post is adapted from the children’s moment at my church Community Baptist Church today.

Memories are a wonderful thing. What are some memories you have of Halloween and growing up?

One of the nice things about getting older is that you have better memories than when you did when you are young.

One of my memories that I have of Halloween Parties of the past was at my growing up church. We would play games, wear costumes and ingest lots of weak Kool-Aid and Reese Cups.

These parties would take place in the church basement or social hall now known as the “youth room”. My growing up church is in downtown Henderson KY it is a very old church. One thing is for sure sometimes you would hear strange noises or feel like someone was around, and they were not. I think it was the friendly Holy Ghost. The floors would creek and the place even smells old.

Two things that I remember most about the Halloween parties were the spook house and the fortune teller.

We would convert the church social hall into a fun Halloween experience. The haunted hallway was converted into a spook house. We would take cooked spaghetti and refrigerate it and have people stick their hands in it and tell them it was human brains. We would take grapes and freeze them and tell people that it was eyeballs- all things that gave people a scare. It was a fun experience putting the haunted house together. It was a memory.

In another closet off of the social hall we had a fortune teller setup. The fortune teller was good she dressed up nice had a Chrystal ball, a deck of cards and everything. She would invite people into the hall closet and tell them of this incredible future they had. I had to try out the fortune teller many times because she told me of so many good things that were going to happen to me, I just couldn’t resist.

My fellow friends enjoyed it too and would go back multiple times. It became so interesting that the adults starting going in the closet to have their fortune told. Yes, this was taking place in the basement of the First Baptist Church.

The lady who was fortune teller was Mrs. Mary Bullard. She was quite a stitch of a lady. Us kids really loved her. She was a school teacher and a music lover. Her daughter Jeannie was the church organist for many years and her husband JC ran the sound system for the church. She went with us on many church music camps and always kept us entertained with many of her bigger than life stories.

The next year Halloween rolled around, we had another party at the church. Since Fortune Teller Mrs. Bullard was such a hit she was asked back and again the adults enjoyed her prognostications as well. She told one lady she was going to have a baby- she did a few months later. She told another she was going to get married- she did a few months later. At that point, I think the fortune teller character at the church Halloween parties was axed for future years.

We all know that “immortal invisible, God is only wise” and only God knows our future. What we do know are that God’s people (like Mrs. Bullard) can create for us memories that help God live in our lives.

Mrs. Bullard died in October 8, 1990 but her memories of love and care for us kids live on today.

Mrs. Bullard taught many of the young musician programs at the church. During those programs, we learned many songs I still remember today that tell me bible stories and lessons Jesus taught. She created for me memories.

How many attended bible studies this morning at 9:45 a.m. (or as we used to call it Sunday School)? If you didn’t I encourage you to remind your responsible adults to get to church each Sunday early so you can attend and make memories like I did when I was your age.

I will tell you another short story that I heard this week. Someone said that they missed going to church for about six weeks this summer and when they came back nobody missed them.

This is another reason we need to be a part of bible study/Sunday school or small groups. When we are in smaller groups and meet regularly like we do each Sunday here at Community Baptist Church it makes it easier for all of us to check on those that are missing.

15 Reasons I like Henderson KY County Public Library

2010-09-29T15:40:00.001-05:00

You can research the archives of the Henderson KY newspaper The Gleaner.
I can walk or ride my bicycle to the Henderson County Public Library. Truly a benefit to living in the downtown community.
They have a nice place for me to park my Electra Townie Bicycle. Soon to have a designer bicycle rack.
They maintain an extensive database for Obituaries of people who have died and have a connection to Henderson KY.
They have a wide selection of DVD, CD, Audio Books that Henderson County KY residents can check out.
They have a nice website at www.hcpl.org.
The staff is very friendly and giving.
They offer free computer classes.
They have free and open Wi-Fi.
They have a nice meeting room for just about any kind of meeting and guess what --- its FREE too!
They have some of the most prestigious art exhibits in downtown Henderson KY.
The building and bathrooms are very clean. Mr Don Wathen, chief librarian and director is a neat freak too!
They have a mobile wireless computer lab that is excellent for training. Businesses in Henderson KY can even arrange to use the mobile computer lab inside the library.
They help people in our Henderson KY community that are down on their luck and have little means by providing computers and internet access for those that don’t have or cannot afford.
They host seminars to help people find jobs, buy homes and just learn more and become better people.

Books and libraries are not dead they are just evolving. Seth Godin says it best in his blog “The Future of the Library”.

I’m so proud of HCPL.org and their initiative to “train people to take the intellectual initiative”.

When was the last time you visited the Henderson County Public Library ?

Wordle

2010-09-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Have you made a Wordle before?

Mezzaluna Black Bean Salad

2010-08-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

3 cans black beans drained rinsed
Half yellow pepper
Half green pepper
4 tomatoes all diced
4 green onions sliced
2 jalapenos or serranos diced
1 handful cilantro chopped

Dressing

½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup canola oil
1 t. Dijon
1 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1 t. Pepper
1 t. Salt

Put in jar shake--use 1/2 of dressing for 1 recipe

Mix well together

Can be made ahead of time and keeps very well in refrigerator.

This was a recipe of Mezzaluna a Garden Café’, a Henderson Kentucky restaurant that was in business in downtown Henderson from August of 1994 to October of 1999 and is sorely missed by many. Diane Gonnella Utley was the proprietor and chef. She made food simple, good for you and very tasty.

Henderson Has Hungry People Too!

2010-07-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

I am going to totally step out of my comfort zone today and put aside all the things I think I should be doing and concentrate on the next 3 hours helping with a immediate need here in Henderson KY, people who are HUNGRY!

My church last Sunday made mention of that need at our local “Christian Community Outreach” center. We took up a small offering after church.

Today (7/30/2010) the Henderson KY newspaper featured a article by Judy Jenkins (The Gleaner) about the need for money to purchase food for hungry people in our community of Henderson KY.

You can read the Gleaner article about the critical need here.

Be on the lookout for me roving the streets of the downtown on my Townie Bicycle asking for contributions for hungry people in Henderson KY.

Can I count on YOU for a contribution?

If have a check and want me to pick it up call me at 270.860.7763. You can mail a contribution to:

Christian Community Outreach,

PO Box 363

Henderson KY 42419-0363

or call the center at 270.826.5592

My heart is heavy for this need in our community today.

The report is that the people of downtown Henderson KY contributed over $1,250 for those who are Hungry in our community. Thank you Henderson people. Your generosity blows me away!

Organizing your Digital Photographs

2010-06-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

GoVaughn.com Insurance has been taking digital photographs of homes and businesses that we have insured since 1996. Our photo collection has become quite large. We had one of the first digital camera produced the Cannon Elph.

We use several different methods for cataloging our images but still with all the pictures that are being taken today it can be a daunting task.

Personally I have been using for a long time a program called ThumbsPlus. I like this program because it gives me a quick an easy way to manipulate photographs and organize them. Cerious Software Inc is a small company I have been using various versions of this software since April of 1999. Since they are small sometimes support can be difficult. However most of the features and problems with the software I have been able to fix using their online help.

One of the biggest issues that I have with organizing photographs how should you organize folders and directories? Do you file photos by date, location, people in photograph or what.

One software that seems to be helping with this is Google Picasa. The coolest feature I think they have is facial recognition. How many times have you gone looking for a picture with someone in it and couldn’t find it. This software searches your photographs and makes a list of all faces. Once you give a particular face a name it searches and matches all like faces with that name. If you have issues with privacy of Google you might try another service that is doing a similar thing Fotobounce.com.

What are some tips you have for organizing the ever growing collection of digital photographs that we are accumulating?

Henderson News May & June 1975

2010-06-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

This morning (Saturday, June 26, 2010 started around 7 a.m.) I had a great bicycle ride around the Sloughs of Henderson County KY. The Sloughs are in the Geneva-Smith Mills area. The ride was about 35 miles round trip from downtown Henderson. Many of the roads (all paved) were totally without traffic. There was a lot of wildlife including a turtle and deer.

After my bicycle ride, I was determined not to spend it on any connected device (e.g. computer/internet). So I went to our public library Henderson County Public Library and looked at old newspapers on another technology device- a microfiche (how 1970’s). I specifically looked at May and June 1975.

During that time period, I was just completing the 5th grade at East Heights School – which was the very first year that school was opened. I was 11 years old, a Highlander Acres kid and highly entrenched into the workings and activities of the First Baptist Church in Henderson.

Several of the news stories in that time period from the Henderson Gleaner popped out to me as interesting. Below is a short recap:

Ginny Newman started the cable TV show “Round Town” one of her first guests was the town dog catcher. Ginny had that show for many years. I wish the archival videos of the show could be reclaimed. I am told that the budget was tight and many times the tapes were reused. What an archive that would be today.

The Henderson Housing Authority sees a demand for public housing.

My great Aunt Henrietta Priest Culver was running for Circuit Court Clerk. She did not win.

Beauty Salons who usually were accustomed to serve more of a women clientele were seeing more men. JR Cardwell a male hairdresser came to Henderson from Lexington and opened up a shop at 326 N Main. He had specific times (Wednesday evenings) that he took care of styling men's hair. He believed men wanted more of a “natural look”, “they don’t want a plastered oily look anymore they are asking for a softer fuller look”. He says this is achieved with the right cut and drying technique. Bee Bracket owner of Bee’s Beauty Salon (located in Henderson’s East End), reports that her male and female customers are happy about the new trends of male hairstyles. She says “men are taking more pride in their appearance and they should since we have to look at them all the time”.

Sureway had their weekly treasure chest drawings. People put their name in a pot and had to get their card punched each week at a local Sureway grocery store. If you name was drawn, and you had your card punched that week you could win money. Many weeks the Sureway Treasure chest had over $600 in prize money people could win. My grandmother Hancock was very consistent about getting her card punched weekly.

Michelle Gilliam (now Deep) coordinated a bicycle tour for the American Cancer Society. Probably, the first organized bicycle tour in Henderson KY. Now we have almost 3 a year.

Dr. Paul Wilder came to town and opened a practice.

Gail King wrote a book about flatboats "A Flatboat Hornbook". The 28 page book gave you all the information you needed to know about Flatboats. This was in preparation for the Flatboat Days Celebration that became so popular during the 1970’s in Henderson. She said her family was proud the book was done; they were tired of TV dinners.

Downtown Henderson property owners worked to reach a goal of $80,000 for replacement of curbed gutters and sidewalks between 4th St to Washington St and from Water Street to Green Street. The project also included new street lights and underground utility wires. Reconstruction of central park fountain is to be done as well. One of the news articles have a picture of Mrs. James (Frances) S. Priest (a distant kin to our family and Virginia P. Berland’s mother) speaking against the redoing of the fountain. Mrs. James S. Priest wanted the fountain redone to its original state. She would be proud to know that was done in 2002.

Computerized checkouts in grocery stores are worrying some consumer groups. They fear the removal of price tags on merchandise. Now we hardly ever see a price just a barcode these days.

Vaughn Insurance advertised in the Gleaner a lot with a somewhat blog style insurance tips material. My father Norris Priest had just purchased the business in August of 1974.

Atkinson Park on the north end of Henderson Kentucky along the Ohio River opened and expanded recreational area providing playgrounds and ball parks over a former landfill.

That’s a lot of interesting news stories and history for spending 2 hours at Henderson County Public Library looking at just two months of newspapers (May & June 1975). I enjoyed it and will have to do it again sometime soon.

Do you remember some of these stories? Do you have anything to add to them? Please leave your comments. All welcomed!

Do you want to win a JEEP?

2010-06-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

You can drive home this 2010 Jeep Wrangler donated by Audubon Chrysler Center!

Purchase your raffle ticket for $25. Let me know if you are interested in purchasing one and I will hand deliver a raffle ticket to you!

Contact me through chat, email or phone 270.631.2121!

The drawing will be held August 20, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the front of the Tea House at Audubon State Park. You do NOT have to be present to win!

Proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Audubon Bicentennial Celebration Events hosted by the Ohio Valley Art League and The Friends of Audubon.

For more information about the Audubon 2010 Celebration in Henderson KY see the www.Audubon2010.com website.

WOW! Friday in Henderson KY

2010-06-23T17:34:00.001-05:00

Call To Artists

Henderson, Kentucky’s 2nd Annual WOW! Friday

Wonderful Original Works Gallery Hop & Art Sale

Friday, November 5, 2010 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Artists are invited to participate in Henderson’s Gallery Hop & Art Sale, sponsored by the Downtown Henderson Project to promote the active arts community of the Tri state.

The Gallery Hop of 2009 met with much approval from patrons with an even greater anticipation of the next event.

Over 2,000 mailers will go out to promote this night of sales.

Deadline for entry is August 15, 2010.

Download the Gallery Hop application for complete rules and instructions for entry: Gallery Hop Application.

Looking for a Summertime Treat in Henderson KY?

2010-06-01T11:04:00.001-05:00

You are invited to visit the Grand Opening of Frozen Oasis, Henderson’s newest Shaved Ice Stand!

Located close to Dairy Queen on Green Street, Frozen Oasis will tempt your taste buds with 22 standard flavors and 23 mixed flavors. You can even order your own custom mix!

John Hodge and friends will be happy to help you! We hope you will consider stopping by to check us out.

Yours truly thinks they are really good!

Look too for Wathen Lane Vegetables -another summer time venture by the Hodge family and neighbors.

What is your favorite place in Henderson KY to get something cool and refreshing during the summertime?

WI-FI: Open and Free in Henderson KY

2010-05-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Do you know where free open WI-FI (wireless internet) is in Henderson KY?

The Downtown Henderson Project has tried for several years to get free WI-FI blanketed throughout the entire downtown Henderson KY community-but have not been able to do so. They are still trying to make this happen.

In the meantime, here are some places that are known to have open and free WI-FI:

Henderson County Public Library

Sunset Park

Methodist Hospital

Diamond Delights Bakery & Cafe

L&N Bed and Breakfast

Liquid Life Clothing

Subway Sandwiches

McDonald’s (N Green St)

McDonald’s (US 41 N)

Community Baptist Church

What are other places you might know of? Please comment!

Testing BlogJet

2010-05-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

I have installed an interesting application - BlogJet. It's a cool Windows client for my blog tool (as well as for other tools). Get your copy here: http://blogjet.com

"Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond imagination." -- Albert Einstein

Wurst Bicycle Ride in Evansville, Saturday, May 22, 2010

2010-05-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

Join me in participating in . . The Fourth Wurst Bicycle Ride in Evansville Indiana (across Ohio River from Henderson KY)!

"You thought last year was the wurst, but the wurst bicycle ride EVER starts at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday (May 22, 2010) at Burdette Park near the BMX track.

Many of the Discovery Trail Bike Routes are very easy, so it's great for beginning riders as well as experienced bicyclist.

Options range from 6 miles to 33, flat to hilly.

After the ride, stick around for brats, hot dogs, chips and drinks. All compliments of Dan's Competition Bicycle Shop and Royal Crown Cola.

Best of all--Its FREE!

Spread the word and bring your friends, family, neighbors!"

Support PeopleforBikes.org

2010-05-11T09:55:00.001-05:00

May is National Bicycle Month and cities and towns all around are promoting bicycling.

Join me and others that have signed a pledge to support more people on bicycles. You could win a bicycle!

The pledge is simple but profound:

“I am for bikes. I'm for long rides and short rides. I'm for commuting to work, weekend rides, racing, riding to school, or just a quick spin around the block. I believe that no matter how I ride, biking makes me happy and is great for my health, my community and the environment we all share. That is why I am pledging my name in support of a better future for bicycling -- one that is safe and fun for everyone. By uniting my voice with a million others, I believe that we can make our world a better place to ride.”

When is the last time you rode a bicycle?

Following Directions

2010-05-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Recently, I was filling up my vehicle at Thornton’s Gas Superstore here in Henderson KY I realized that I needed to get some cash out of the ATM inside the gas super center. As I was walking into the store I heard over the outdoor loudspeaker “Sir on pump number 3 do not leave your vehicle”. I was a little embarrassed.

I immediately wanted to mouth something, like “I do it all the time and besides, I’m in a hurry”, but I didn’t- I quietly and positively went back to my vehicle until the gas had finished pumping.

I really wasn’t in a huge hurry, but I felt the need to do multi-tasking (get money from ATM while the vehicle is filling up with gas). Sometimes I just need to stop and do one thing.

The pump plainly had a sign on it that said “Warning, please do not leave pump unattended” and “not responsible for charges relating to overfills”.

Does multi-tasking make us feel as if we don’t have to follow direct?

Why is it when we see clear directions, we sometimes don’t want to follow them and immediately mouth our reason why we are not following them?

I just want to work on this and try to follow directions more closely especially the little ones. Who knows it could bring about some positive change?

Hallmark Channel to Honor Dolly Parton

2010-05-05T19:03:00.001-05:00

<From a Press Release>

Hallmark Channel will honor a musical icon, Dolly Parton, and celebrate the anniversary of one of the country's most popular theme parks when it televises the Hallmark Channel Original Special, "Dolly Celebrates 25 Years of Dollywood," Friday, July 3 (8 p.m./ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT).

The one-hour special, presented exclusively on Hallmark Channel, features the 45-time Grammy® nominee (seven wins) and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee in a musical tribute taped at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN, and featuring some of the brightest stars in country music.

For the Hallmark Channel Original Special, Parton's guests will include Miley Cyrus ("The Last Song," "Hannah Montana"), Billy Ray Cyrus ("Christmas in Canaan," "Back to Tennessee"), and multiple Grammy Award winner Kenny Rogers (the Parton/Rogers hit "Islands in the Stream" remains the #1 duet of all-time). The special also includes tributes for Dolly and Dollywood from friends -- Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, and others.

Parton's former business advisors told her not to invest in an aging tourist attraction that had surely seen its glory days. But, in 1986, the irrepressible Parton did so anyway, partly out of reverence for her beloved Sevier County roots and a desire to enhance the local economy, but also because Dolly loves to share her Appalachian memories of the Great Smoky Mountains, her people and their heritage. Today, 25 years later, Dollywood has fulfilled Parton's dreams -- and the dreams of many park-goers -- while prompting more. Now the country music legend wants to share Dollywood's Silver Anniversary with the world.

Known as one of the most popular vacation destinations in America, Dollywood is also the recipient of more awards for live entertainment than any other theme park in the world. Dollywood is the predominant recipient of the industry's Golden Ticket Award for Best Shows and Best Christmas Event. The largest employer in Sevier County, the park features 10 distinctly themed areas, spans 150 acres, and plays hosts to four of the South's largest festivals each year. Dollywood boasts thrilling roller coasters, including Thunderhead, twice voted the world's best wooden coaster. Wagon making, blacksmithing and woodcarving are always on display courtesy of the dozens of master craftsmen. On March 29, Adventure Mountain, the $6 million challenge course (the nation's largest) opened in the park's Wildnerness Pass area.

Referring to the theme of Dollywood's 25th anniversary ("Celebrating the Dreamer in You," an anthem Parton wrote to commemorate the milestone) and of the TV special honoring it, Parton says, "I've always been a writer. My songs are the door to every dream I've ever had and every success I've ever achieved."

Family Easter Lunch 2010

2010-04-03T14:25:00.001-05:00

The Menu is planned groceries procured, guest invited and the table is set.

Our Menu:

Sunday Roast Chicken with Lemon Essence

Rosemary-Panko Crusted Potatoes

Strawberry Salad with Georgia Pecans & Feta cheese

Snap Pea Sauté with fresh Morels & Jicama

Deviled Easter Eggs (made by my fathers cousin Margaret)

Sourdough Yeast Rolls (made by my mother)

The Classic Spices of Mary Carrot Cake & Fresh Fruit Salad

What a way to celebrate this Joyous time of Christ Resurrection- Easter!

What is your family Easter menu?

Oh by the way . . . the iPad arrived today! Really messing with my Easter lunch cooking plans.

Franklin Tennessee- A Quick Getaway Place!

2010-03-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite places to visit outside of Henderson KY is Franklin TN. The community of Franklin TN presents themselves to me as a people of eclectic mix: spiritual, fitness minded, artistic, open minded and educated. They seem to be quite a mixture of ethnic groups and I see people of various age groups mixing and doing things together.

Franklin Tennessee is the home of some quite famous Twitter and blogging celebrities. Michael Hyatt, Steve Anderson, Spence Smith and Randy Elrod all of which call Franklin TN their physical home.

Franklin recently was named to the 2009 list of Southern Living Magazines' "Best Small Town" top ten list, Franklin is a charming suburb of Nashville, Tennessee.

In Franklin you will experience a beautiful blend of upscale urban development and cultural history rich with hip places to shop and eat as well as historic attractions that tell the story of the Civil War's Battle of Franklin.

Some places that we find interesting in Franklin TN are:

Hotels

-Aloft (Franklin TN / Coolsprings) We actually stayed here during our late July 2009 visit. It is nice but not all that. Think next time we will be back at Courtyard Marriott Cool springs. The bar was nice, rooms very small and didn’t have extra pillows. They had a lot of accessories for electronics but didn’t give you any cables to use them. The best way to and cheapest way to get a reservation was online. The system was awful; it took me almost 30 minutes to make a 2 night reservation. The personnel that worked the place were very nice. Some we noticed were not that polished.

The Courtyard Marriot Cool Springs (2001 Meridian Blvd Franklin TN) is a great new place as well. A trendy hotel especially the corner rooms. This is our perfered place to stay while visiting Franklin.

Great Breakfast Places

Puckett’s (Both in Franklin and Leiper’s Fork) Franklin store is downtown and it is next door to Merridees at 120 4^th Ave in Franklin. You don’t want to miss a visit to Franklin without stopping by Puckett’s.

Merridee’s Breadbasket 110 4^th Avenue S Franklin- Highly recommend. We eat there every time we are in town. (Parking Across the street in free parking garage).

The Starbucks at Five Points is really good too. The typical Starbucks brand but with a twist. They are a building that is participating in a project to use Solar Power. Ask the barista about this initiative that is going on in this store.

Downtown Shops of Interest

Franklin Tea Great place to by gourmet tea.

Curious Gourmet This is where we got our one of a kind wine barrel lazy Susan for entertaining at home. The staff are very friendly every time we visit we manage to get a product demonstration. This time it was the Cusinart Grind & Brew. Think one of those will make it in my house sometime. We bought a few kitchen items.

Various other shops up and down main street that are very interesting. Take time to walk both sides of the Franklin main street. There are several antique stores and gift shops. You never know too when you might run into a celebrity like Alan Jackson, Miley Cyrus (they live in Franklin area) or possibly Dolly Parton (she lives in the Brentwood TN area).

The Factory at Franklin this is as you come into town from Cool Springs. This is ok but not our favorite. They have a nice Viking Store along with Cooking school in this converted old factory.

Excellent Mexican: Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant- The very best fish taco’s 316 Williamson Sq Franklin

The place for a Evening Meal or Appetizers Wild Ginger (Fun Fusion Cuisine).

The most exquisite but practical Gym I have ever seen and very new! Prairie Life Fitness.

A unique Bicycle Shop Harpeth Bicycle Shop.

Harpeth True Value Home Center This is the place were we purchased the Yankee Flipper Squirrel Proof bird feeder. Also saw and demoed the Weber Summit Grill. This hardware store seemed to have more of a variety of unique items than most True Value stores have.

Sometime when you want a quick getaway to a really unique town and Franklin TN is the place.

Tell me about your visit to Franklin?

Are you an Evangelist for your Community?

2010-03-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

One of the best compliments someone paid me about a year ago this month was from Marcia Garber, a retired insurance executive living in northern Michigan. She said “one of these days I am going to come and visit Henderson Kentucky (KY) because of all the things you talk about going on there”.

Marcia is an outsider looking in and sees an excitement.

The Henderson Gleaner newspaper has of late been asking Henderson KY people what they would like to see in the future for Henderson.

One wish that I have for sure is we need more people. How do we get more? We talk about our community and become community evangelists. Growth and opportunities are going to come from the outside not the inside. We need to share with others all the great things that we only have in Henderson.

Before big chain restaurants and movie theaters in Henderson Kentucky are going to be successful they need a larger buying population to purchase from them.

How do we get more people? We need to encourage our current population to evangelize all the unique positive things going on in Henderson KY today.

Have you spoken well about your community today?

What are some things you would not like to do without in Henderson KY? Have you told others about them?

Dropbox- an Alternative to a Thumb Drive

2010-02-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Dropbox allows you to share and manage files among multiple computers.

Recently I was introduced to a piece of cloud based software called Dropbox (thank you John L).

At first I just thought it was another one of those around for a short time file sharing tools. Of the others I have looked at this one is the best.

After installing Dropbox, there is a folder placed in your My Documents named “My Dropbox”. To sum the service up in one sentence: any files placed into this folder will both be uploaded to the Dropbox servers, and will be synchronized with any other clients in your account.

So, in a single computer situation, this Dropbox folder is effectively a backup solution. If you have more than one PC in the account, any files placed into this folder on one computer will automatically be synchronized onto all others running Dropbox in the same account.

At my church Community Baptist Church, our media team who puts together the video for the worship services needed an easy way to transfer sermon graphics and other media to the people who needed it. We started using drop box and haven’t looked back. It is like having a network. It works like any other folder on your computer and then replicates the folder to others of your choosing via a internet connections. Dropbox works on both Windows and MacOS X systems. This is nice since some members of our media team use Mac’s.

Dropbox installs a small application on your desktop or you can use the convenient web application. One nice tool that I like about the software is that it keeps your last revisions and deletions for back reference.

So throw away those aggravating thumb drives and starting using one of the best secure file sharing options out there-Dropbox!

What do you like about Dropbox?

FreshBooks

2010-02-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

FreshBooks is an easy-to-use online invoicing service that saves you time, gets you paid faster and makes you look as if you are a Fortune 500 professional.

From estimates and expenses to time tracking and invoicing, FreshBooks makes everything quick and simple, letting you focus on your work, not your paperwork.

Customize the service with your own logo and colors, send invoices by email or ground mail, accept payments with PayPal, Authorize.net and more.

To learn more about FreshBooks or to create your FREE account and get started today see FreshBooks.

Life on Purpose

2010-02-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

Why are we here? What are we here for?

I wrestle with these questions every day. Many years we spend trying to find ourselves and discovering who we are.

Today I am changing the name of my blog to just simply NibbyPriest.com | Life on Purpose this name describes me better and my blog.

Over the past two years of having a simple blog, I have really enjoyed the process writing and gathering my thoughts and ideas.

I have been writing about everything from food, church, my community involvement (Henderson KY) and technology.

Nibby Priest is truly a want-to-be writer, and I am working hard to improve my writing skills and talk about many different topics.

Truly, I have been inspired by many other blog writers who have businesses and lead other large corporations and non-profits. Their simple short writings (blogs) have enriched my life so much.

My first entry on April 20, 2008 was rather simple, but it set off quite a realization that I do have something to say and yes people do read what I have to say. It is amazing how we all have the opportunity to become self publishers.

Hopefully, by April 2010 I will have a new look to my blog NibbyPriest.com – Stay tuned (can we say Word Press?) Last year (2009) there were 44 blog posts. My goal for 2010 is at least 52. With your encouragement and readership, I know I can make it.

Thanks for continuing to read.

Keeping the Bad Out: Safeguarding your Home or Office Network

2010-01-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

A couple of days ago a Facebook friend posted “it’s is just as important what you have inside your heart as what you keep out of your heart”. That is so true.

That is just the case with the internet. There are so many good things online but keeping the bad stuff out can sometimes be a problem in both the home and office environment.

One tool that I started using (both home and at GoVaughn.com Insurance) in February of 2008 is OpenDNS.com. This cloud based computing services enables you to block certain websites by category or site name from being viewed on any of your network computers.

A while back one of our computers was hit with a bit of malware from Facebook (Koobface). With OpenDNS.com they block those known sites. Several antivirus vendors recommend OpenDNS.com to block sites.

I signed up for a free account and haven't looked back.

Here are some important points about OpenDNS.com that you should know:

You can block sites by category (Social Networking, gambling, porn, hate/discrimination, adware and just plain tasteless sites).
You can block specific sites that you encounter problems with or just don’t want others visiting (shopping sites).
OpenDNS.org will block access to sites that are virus ridden.
You can specify exceptions to the categories.
You can get reports of sites that were blocked, but you can't get specific info on who tried to access them.
The ads only appear when there is a DNS error. They will suggest some similar sites to visit instead (often the site the user was trying to access but misspelled the URL). These suggested sites paid for placement there. That's where they get their revenue. OpenDNS.org does have a paid service now that is sans the advertisement.
It works best if your network has a static IP but can be set up with some extra software if you don't.
If you don't know what you are doing, you should consult with your network guru to make sure that you don't mess up your internal network by adjusting DNS settings on your servers and PC's.

This site is easy to use and maintain. I have told several non-computer people about the service, and they are using with no problems.

Even if you don’t plan on using the filtering service (I highly recommend that you do) you can use OpenDNS.com to make your internet browsing faster. They claim that sites open faster using OpenDNS.com that your ISP’s DNS. DNS stands for domain name server. That is the server that turns a URL (words) into an IP address (numbers).

At my home in downtown Henderson KY my wireless network is open, and I am in directly across the street from Sunset Park in the downtown area. I keep my wireless network open for the public in the park. My wireless network is actually called “Sunset Park”. One reason I feel safe doing this is that I use OpenDNS.org. You are not going to be able to go anywhere you shouldn’t be therefore, we are fulfilling the mission of keeping the bad stuff out.

For explicit information, please visit www.opendns.com.

How do you feel about keeping the BAD internet out of your life?

Was OpenDNS.com able to help?

Happy 13th Birthday River Priest

2010-01-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

Today (January 16, 2010) is my one and only nephew River Thomas Priest, 13th birthday.

Happy Birthday River and welcome to pre-adulthood (aka teen-ager). Yes, I have a niece -Sister Kally-and more on her later.

I can’t begin to describe what a blessing this special boy (now a teenager) continues to be. He’s a sweet, compassionate and caring kid. Although I don't want time to fly by I can’t wait to see what he is going to do during his adulthood. He is a one of a kind blessing to others.

One of my most favorite stories I love to tell about River come from a trip that Greg and I took him and his sister Kally on Spring break 2009 to St Louis Missouri .

We were walking in the downtown area towards the St Louis Cardinals Baseball Stadium for a moment, I lost eye contact with River and looked to see what he was doing. I looked back and River and was giving money to a stranger, a homeless beggar. He did it totally on his own. Not asking permission, not telling what he was doing- he just did it!

What an altruistic act for a then 12 year old. He is just like that. He gave without thinking. He didn’t try to reason in his mind before the giving act- what was the beggar was going to do with these coins- he just gave because he felt the man’s need. River has a spirit we all need to have!

Many times in my life I have often used the excuse before giving to someone “They are just going to buy more alcohol or drugs with that money” and I did not give. I have learned (thanks Pastor Tim) we have to give unconditionally. Thanks River for showing us all that too!

Today’s Grace for the Moment sends me to Galatians 6:4 “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.” River is on to doing just that. God never prefabs or mass-produces people. He makes all things new. God didn’t hand you (River) your family’s bag or your parent’s life; he personally and deliberately packed YOU! So make a deliberate exploration of who you are and the work you have been given and sink yourself into doing just that!

Lori and Neal (my one and only brother) have done a great job raising a special young man River Thomas Priest!

I love you River!

Uncle Nibby

When is the last time you backed up your Computer Hard Drive?

2009-12-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, I sell insurance-- but if you are looking for a quick and easy way to backup your computers hard drive I highly recommend Mozy!

Simply the easiest way to keep your hard drive backed up all the time. You never have to worry about

Mozy Unlimited Backup - $4.95/Month

What was your experience with Mozy Online Backup?

Mezzaluna Poppy Seed Dressing

2009-12-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

The recipe for a deliciously sweet dressing for baby spinach, mixed salad greens or fresh fruit.

Personally, I think it is best with spinach, mandarin oranges, sliced toasted almonds and a thinly sliced red onion.

1.5 Cups of White Vinegar
1.5 Cups Sugar
3 tablespoons poppy seed
1 tsp salt
tablespoon dry mustard (a powder)
1 tablespoon graded white onion

Mix all ingredients above together in Blender
Blend in slowly 3 cups of Canola Oil

This recipe makes a lot, but will be consumed quickly.

Mezzaluna was a restaurant on the riverfront in downtown Henderson KY owned by Diane Utley. Mezzaluna opened it November of 1994 and closed the last of September 1999.

All my life I appreciated great food from a mother who cooked three meals a day. But it wasn’t until Diane Utley opened Mezzaluna in 1994 that I became a total foodie.

Diane taught me that good food does not have to be fussy or complicated to be good. Oh how Henderson Kentucky was blessed to have Mezzaluna for those few short years.

Diane and Mezzaluna introduced me to many foods that have become staples in my cuisine. Some of them are:

*Chicken Marbella
*Beef Medallions
*Chicken Marsala
*Crab Cakes
*Merlot Wine (GiGi Diane’s mother really taught me that)
*Pesto and all the wonderful things you can do with pesto
*Mixed Greens (probably in 1994 it was the first time I saw them)
*Black Bean Salad

Since Mezzaluna closed there has been no other restaurant in Henderson Kentucky that served up the kind and quality of food that Mezzaluna did.

What was your favorite thing to eat at Mezzaluna’s ?

Cynthia Clawson "Ain't It The Gospel Truth"

2009-12-17T04:30:00.000-06:00

With out a doubt Cynthia Clawson is my favorite gospel singer and “Ain’t It The Gospel Truth” is my favorite of her songs!

The words are like this:

“Ain’t it The Gospel Truth that God still loves you! and if you need more proof just look to Jesus and I believe you will see what perfect love can do ain’t it the gospel truth.

Oh what a statement.

In the early 1980's late 1970’s my growing up church youth puppet team had a puppet named "Betty" that sang to this song (Ain’t It The Gospel Truth). The puppet was an African American puppet. :) (oh we didn’t know better)

It was so funny. It was as just about as close to "getting down" then youth (1977-1982) could do and get by with it in church.

Cynthia just re-released this entire Album “It Was His Love” recently. This is one album that I know every word to every song. As I listen to the words some 30 years later I realize how much ahead of her time Cynthia really was.

Listen and enjoy this song in this video below. Cynthia wasn’t happy about how the song turned out so she made her backup singers and the accompanist do it over. You get the song twice in this video. I didn’t think the first one was bad at all, but then again, I really enjoy the words Cynthia Clawson.

It’s hard to believe Cynthia is 61 (2009) years old. Her words, melodies and legacy will always be special to me.

What is your favorite song Cynthia Clawson sings?

Experience PEACE this Christmas

2009-12-11T04:30:00.000-06:00

“Christ does not bring us Peace, He is our Peace” Tim Hobbs

There is nothing better to celebrate than peace in your heart, peace in your city, peace with God and of course peace around the world. Christmas time is a perfect time to celebrate peace and to encourage the same.

Once we learn to put aside our differences and concentrate on how much we are a like we can celebrate peace and of course love.

The house light display took the peace approach head on this year. An idea that we have wanted to do for a few years.

The PEACE signs (yes, one that was popular in the 1970’s) are positioned to the left and right of the elevated Christ Star. Connected with fresh green garland and laced with Turtle Doves (they are fakes and very old/recycled).

The goal is to be able to see the star and peace signs across the river into Evansville. I don’t know if we succeeded in the brightness category, but the message displayed is clear.

So many have already said to me and Greg- “We get the message!” Thank you for all of the nice comments. That makes it worth all the trouble.

The Star is to represent the birth of Christ and that he came to earth to give us PEACE (and a lot more). The Turtle Doves which many times naturally appear around the downtown (aka pigeons) also represent peace. The doves are hard to see in this picture.

It is my desire that this Christmas season that you experience the PEACE that Jesus brings to us during the Christmas Holidays.

The lights are multi colored. They add a whimsical dimension to the display.

The display is very green (energy efficient) all of the lights outside with exception to the floods are LED lights. Many displays around the area are using solid lights (white or another color). We have noticed that people are really having troubles matching the colors and especially the whites.

For those of you whom have young teens asking for PEACE signs. These (along with the star) were mail ordered from Pottery Barn in early November. Checking their website now- they are sold out. Strands of multicolored lights were added to each peace sign to enhance the effect.

Drive by and take a look. What you think?

Do you decorate with goals in mind to share a message about Christmas?

What are some of the Best Light Displays in Henderson KY you have found?

Is Faxing Dead?

2009-12-04T05:30:00.000-06:00

First off fax I believe communications is dead.

Second, we still have client/policyholders than require us to fax information to them.

With that said our solution is simply this:

GoVaughn.com Insurance has used for a long time a service called ImpactFax.com. They are very inexpensive and we have to have NO HARDWARE. It is like a hosted faxing solution. We highly recommend.

We probably are the only insurance agency that does not have a faxing hardware or machine in the building. We totally rely on www.impactfax.com for all our outbound faxing.

Our telecommunications provider (norlight.com) provides us with direct dial inbound fax numbers for our entire staff direct to our email.

Don't make a mistake and buy equipment that you have to maintain and troubleshoot inside your office.

Have you noticed less dependence on the fax machine in your office?

Have you made it a point to ask before you fax if a email attachment might work better?

Facebook Facies (by Marie Shaw)

2009-12-02T11:33:00.001-06:00

Nibby’s Note: Recently yours truly participated in a email interview with college student Marie Shaw. She asked me some questions about how I was using Social Media. In this essay she truly shares my mantra for social media! Thanks Marie! She and Charles are simply the best and we are so fortunate to have them in Henderson KY! Marie is a non-traditional business student at Henderson Community College in Henderson KY. Below is her essay:

In the past decade, the staggering increase of people worldwide who have access to the internet has led to the creation of dozens of social networking websites. A social networking website assembles virtual communities of people with similar interests, occupations, and hobbies. The most popular social networking site on the internet today, Facebook, was created in 2004 and currently boasts over 300 million members ("Facebook"). There is no cost to create a Facebook profile. Facebook members can "friend" other members to share their thoughts and what is going on in their lives through status updates, post pictures and videos, play virtual games called applications, and communicate with other users directly through status messages, chats, and comments.

While there has recently been criticism of social networking websites and the supporters of these social networking websites, Facebook is neither entirely bad nor entirely good. However, the positive aspects of Facebook far outweigh the negative.

There are many ways that Facebook can affect one's personal and professional lives. Unfortunately, not all of these effects are positive. If one's Facebook profile is not set to be private, anyone with a Facebook account can access another member's personal information. Many employers search social networking websites to gather information on current and prospective employees; a Facebook member who posts comments or pictures that paint them in a negative light could potentially be turned down for a job based on their activities on Facebook. Another downside to Facebook involves the fact that in many cases, the law has yet to catch up with technology. According to the article "Virtual Sex, Lies and Cyberspace," one of the dangers of the internet is that people can pretend to be anyone online (Harmon 613-614).There are no laws preventing convicted felons, including pedophiles, from using Facebook. There is no minimum age requirement for Facebook members. In virtual reality there is no way to know for sure whom one has "friended" or is chatting with, and the potential dangers are limitless.

My personal experience with Facebook has been rewarding. I enjoy Facebook because it allows me to communicate with people in ways I was previously unable to. Instead of back and forth phone calls to set up an appointment, I can login to Facebook, see when my hairdresser is online, and chat with her to set up my next hair appointment. The members of my women's Bunco group all have Facebook accounts and we can coordinate our next Bunco game through group messages. After we meet (in person) once a month for our game, my friends can leave comments on the hostess' Facebook page (called their "wall") and pat her on the back for a job well done. Facebook has also given me the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and classmates I have not been in contact with in years. I have a very large family; seven of my nine siblings, my mother, and most of my husband's family all have Facebook accounts. Through status updates and comments, I feel like I am a part of their lives even though my closest relative lives over three hours away. I can literally watch my nieces and nephews grow up before my eyes through pictures, see my sisters' vacation photos as soon as they are uploaded, and send a quick message to let my mother-in-law know I am thinking about her.

The convenience and speed of communication afforded by Facebook far surpasses that of "snail mail" or even email. My husband and I are getting a new puppy next month and recently took a trip to Lexington to see the litter of two-week old puppies we have to choose from. While there, I took pictures of the puppies and uploaded the pictures to Facebook account from my Blackberry device to share the news with my family and friends. Within seconds, all of my friends could view the pictures of the puppies. Within minutes, I had dozens of messages, comments, and suggestions for what to name the puppy, all while still in Lexington. Without Facebook, I would have had to wait until I got home, load the pictures on to my computer, and send everyone I wanted to know about our dog an email with the news.

A valuable aspect of Facebook is the positive effect it can have on small businesses. Nibby Priest, a prominent local insurance agent in Henderson, Kentucky, is one of the millions of people who use social media to expand their companies. In addition to Facebook, Nibby also uses another social networking website, Twitter, to promote the family owned insurance company he manages. According to Nibby, on Facebook and Twitter, "I often speak of the product that I sell and ask questions that provoke a possible interest in my product." In a little less than two years, Nibby has created a large network of friends and clients on both social networking websites, with over one-thousand Facebook friends and nearly as many followers on Twitter. Several articles have also been written about Nibby's success with social media, which has also contributed to growing his business (Priest). There is no doubt that social networking websites can help one grow their business. A recent article in the New York Times asserts that "small businesses are using it [Facebook] to find new customers, build online communities of fans and dig into gold mines of demographic information" ("How to Market Your Business With Facebook").

Facebook can also help people deal with tough issues in their lives by offering an instant and large support group. Russ Lyons, a 38-year old radiation therapist and father of two young boys, was recently diagnosed with CIPD. CIPD, or Chronic Inflammary Demyelinating Polyneurophy, is a devastating disease that affects the central nervous system. As the disease progresses, a patient suffering from CIPD becomes increasingly weak and gradually loses control of their motor functions. Through Facebook, Russ has found support to help him cope with his condition, as well as met other people suffering from CIPD. In a recent status update, Russ wrote, "Went to the neurologist today. The disease is progressing and I continue to get weaker." Within hours, Russ had over twenty comments from his Facebook friends, including "will keep you in my thoughts and prayers," and "hang in there bud." In a recent email, Russ advised:

They do give me a lot of encouragement. They send short notices that they are praying for me, some send bible verses they run across that remind them of me. I get messages about how people are inspired by how I am handling the disease. I have had people just show up and do yard work for me. It is amazing how much support I've gotten by keeping people informed through Facebook (Lyons).

While there are both good and bad facets of Facebook, the good far outweigh the bad. It is important for parents to monitor their children's usage of Facebook. People must also keep in mind that once they have posted something on Facebook, the information is available for everyone to see. With a little discretion, Facebook can become a worthwhile experience.

Nibby Priest's philosophy on social networking provides an example of what everyone should work towards: " What I want to be on Twitter and Facebook: Genuine, Honest, Authentic, Encouraging, Enlightening, Educating, Professional and Positive! You?"

Tell me your story about the positive influences Social Media have been on your life?

Works Cited

"Facebook -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook>.

Harmon, Amy. "Virtual Sex, Lies and Cyberspace." Los Angeles Times. (April 1997). Rpt. in Pop Perspectives; Laura Gray-Rosendale. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 613-619.

Lyons, Russ. "Question!" Message to the author. 20 Nov. 2009. E-mail.

Pattison, Kermit. "How to Market Your Business With Facebook." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/business/smallbusiness/12guide.html>.

Priest, Nibby. "Facebook Questions." Message to the author. 19 Nov. 2009. E-mail.

My Thanksgiving Word: Grace !

2009-11-25T04:45:00.000-06:00

These words graced my Facebook page this week and I had to share.

"I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am." John Newton(1725-1807).

John is probably known best for his hymn “Amazing Grace”.

I thank God this thanksgiving for showing me over and over about His Grace!

If you are looking for a great to give this Christmas season- I recommend Grace for the Moment a daily devotional book by Max Lucado. Totally a inspiration and beautifully bound.

How has God’s bountiful grace affected you today?

Henderson Post Office Ladies to Retire

2009-10-30T14:06:00.001-05:00

If you have ever mailed a letter or a package from the Henderson KY Post Office (42420 or 42419) you probably have been waited on by one of these two ladies.

Today (October 30, 2009) is their last day of work. They are retiring. Sue Miller retires with 30 years of service and Joyce Floyd has 28 years of service to the Post Office.

Many will sure miss their smiling faces at the 42420 Post Office in Henderson KY.

Sue over the years has been such a help to me personally with bulk and non-profit mailings.

Best of luck to both of you in your retirement!

Do you have a story about Joyce or Sue?

A Regional Tradition: Burgoo

2009-10-24T20:22:00.001-05:00

Burgoo is tradition in Henderson Kentucky and other parts of Kentucky. When I was in grade school one of the events that would take place every fall would be the annual Fall Burgoo at East Heights School.

The school itself was a rather unique when it opened in the fall of 1974. It was one of the first schools of its kind to have all open classrooms. That over the years has been changed but one thing that has stayed the same is the fall burgoo fundraiser.

The recipe of Homer Taylor has been used for years. I noticed a Garner in the crowd. Is the Homer Taylor recipe been replaced or converted into a Ralph Garner recipe?

The multiple kettles of burgoo are a total sell out. Today I was there at 8 am to learn that I had to wait in line till 10 am to buy my one gallon of burgoo. There were no presales. It would have been nice to be able to pre-purchase.

Today was the first time in several years that I bought some East Heights Burgoo, like I remember from my youth- it is the best!

There is a restaurant in downtown Henderson that claims to have some really good Burgoo too: http://www.downtownsandwichshoppe.com

The burgoo kettles in Henderson County are passed around from organization to organization to use as fund raisers- I do believe that the East Heights School and the Homer Taylor recipe is the best in the community.

Watch the quick video about what burgoo is:

Thank you Stacy P for being a good sport and letting me video you!

Have you ever tried Burgoo?

Who has your favorite recipe?

Amazon Kindle

2009-10-23T17:33:00.001-05:00

This is a electronic gadget that any book lover should have! I highly recommend.

Buy one today! The price has recently been reduced by Amazon!

The Unsolved Murder of Morris Beckham Vaughn

2009-10-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

Be sure to read this blog that posted to the Vaughn Insurance Agency blog.

The Grantwood Deer

2009-10-11T18:38:00.001-05:00

Many times I write about Sunday afternoon’s in Grantwood Hills. Grantwood is probably Henderson KY premier subdivision. Since the subdivision is surrounded by three sides of John James Audubon Kentucky Park the deer are plentiful. Just last night we saw a herd of at least 14.

“Can we get to business?!” by Charles Wasilewski

2009-09-18T15:45:00.001-05:00

(Back in early August I received a call from a very kind gentleman Charles Wasilewski from Aartrijk. He asked me about doing a webinar about social media. This was my first presentation done completely in webinar form. We did it on September 2, 2009 –what a great experience! Below is a blog he posted to the Aartrijk site about one of the questions that was asked in the webinar. I have reposted with his permission. I hope you enjoy reading. Nibby)

That partly-excited, partly-frustrated-sounding question popped out at me from among several dozen when I was moderating a Webinar (”Social Media 101: Get Your Agency on Facebook and Twitter” presented by Insurance Journal) in early September.

The Webinar was presented by Nibby Priest of Vaughn Insurance Agency Co., who is among the most-active insurance producers I know in using social networking.

The question came while Nibby was showing how to get a personal Facebook page started. This is one of the most-popular things to do on the Internet. After all, Facebook has 200 million-plus members and is among the top 5 most-visited Web sites in the world.

When I read the question, I sensed that the agent asking the question was impatient with all the “personal” Facebook material, and wanted to get to the important stuff: how to use Facebook to market and sell.

I’ve felt the same frustration in the past — until I realized that the personal nature of Facebook is what makes it popular and captivating for millions. Facebook isn’t like advertising or direct mail or an e-mail newsletter or a Yellow Pages ad. It’s not really a marketing tool or tactic to be pulled out of the marketing plan and executed.

It’s something very different: It’s a technological way to carry out social relationships online.

Facebook is popular because it allows people to:

– connect person-to-person

– choose people, brands, organizations, causes, and advertisers they want to connect with online … and shun or ignore those they don’t

– easily search and find people from their past and present to build relationships going forward into the future

So, for me, a lesson of “Social Media 101: Get Your Agency on Facebook and Twitter” was a reminder that social networking is about talking with people, not merely sending out business messages via advertising or marketing. I’m as big a fan as anyone of advertising and marketing, but Facebook requires a different approach. It requires a commitment to joining a community, providing value, presenting information and perspective, and building relationships.

The great hope of social networking for marketers is that when members of the community are ready to buy, they will find you — even seek you out — because they know you and know what you know.

- Charles Wasilewski

This blog is from The Aartrijk Group website please click to the site to see the comments.

Charles also is a incredible poet. Nibby is enjoying his book of poems Far As The Curse Is Found: Poems In Six Places.

To say the least. Charles is a great guy to work with. He is a gifted wordsmith!

My Hometown Henderson KY Newspaper-The Gleaner ROCKS!

2009-09-02T07:31:00.001-05:00

If you haven’t picked up a copy of the Henderson KY Gleaner newspaper lately you should.

Take today (September 2, 2009) for example the paper is full of many wonderful stories about our community and world around us such as:

Electronics Recycling starting next week – Way to go Henderson County Government and Pauline Allen!

Chuck Stinnett’s recent trip to Quebec and how he experienced multiple cultures and teaching me what a Loonie and Toonie are! I did not realize how much Canada and Quebec has become a melting pot for so many people from other countries and religions.

Dear Myra McKee Polley’s bout with cancer and how she stays “Lookin’ Good”. Judy Jenkins always writes the most touching stories. I tell Judy Jenkins that her writing makes tears come to my eyes by her ability to capture a story.

Home building in Henderson KY is picking up. Henderson KY is is a great place to live, work and raise a family!

How our ugly now defunct power plant in downtown is being turned into art and a tool to teach architecture students.

A interesting Night Club Owner/Producer in Evansville Dies. Wow, he was just ahead of his time.

How a Hospital in Des Moines Iowa is using Twitter to keep patients informed about surgery. Wonder if Methodist Hospital (Henderson KY’s local hospital) administrators saw this news article? It is a great idea and the article said “one way to further relationships” and keep patients in Henderson KY for medical care. (this is not online Gleaner but is a national story, you can find the article on page A6 of 9/2/09 print edition of gleaner or this AP Online News Article)

Way to go Gleaner editors and writers you truly are the best. Keep up the great work. I know things are tough, but your work is above average in my small opinion.

What is your favorite Gleaner Newspaper story today?

Downtown Artist Likes Lofty Venues and Sea Creatures

2009-08-29T17:29:00.001-05:00

Over the past few weeks two unique pieces of art have appeared on the backsides of two downtown Henderson KY buildings.

The first art was noticed about two weeks ago on the backside parapet of the Hometown Variety Store on 2nd Street in Henderson KY. The unknown artist created a rather large interpretation of a Shark using a blue and yellow color scheme.

The second was noticed on the third floor rear fire escape door of the Citi-Center Office Building. The spray paint art appears to be that of an Octopus and having the same color scheme as the shark.

I spoke to Julie Turnipseed, Executive Director of the Downtown Henderson Project, (8/29/09 at 11:00 am) and she was unaware of their existence.

This artist has talent.

What are these public works of art all about?

Have you seen this artist work in other locations?

(I am in no way approving of this display of art, it looks like graffiti. I just find the theme and quality of interesting in our downtown. It is my desire that the artist can find something constructive to do with this enormous talent.)

Peach Sorbet (made with Cardinal Farms Peaches)

2009-08-12T18:31:00.001-05:00

Makes about fourteen 1/2- cup servings

3/4	Cup of Granulated Sugar
3/4	Cup of Water
2 1/2	Pounds of Peeled and sliced Peaches
2/3	Cup tangerine or orange juice (we used fresh squeezed oranges)
1	Tablespoon Corn Syrup (the stuff that’s killing us!)

Place sugar and water in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to medium and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved to make a simple syrup- you will have 1 1/4 cups simple syrup. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.

Place the peach slices/cubes or chunks into a blender and slightly puree. You should end up with 6 cups of Peach Puree. Stir in the tangerine or orange juice, corn syrup and cooled simple syrup. Cover and chill for 2 hours or longer.

Turn on the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The sorbet will have a soft, slushy texture , similar to a freshly scooped Italian ice, If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

- I trust you will enjoy this recipe as much as I have. This year we have been blessed with bountiful peaches. Let me know how it turns out when you make this recipe.

Recipe adapted from the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker Recipe Book. Cardinal Farms is a peach orchard in Henderson County Kentucky.

What are other ice cream related recipes you have tried in the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker?

Twitter Friends are some of the Best . . .

2009-08-11T07:35:00.001-05:00

I am so fortunate to have some of the best Twitter friends!

Why should you YOU start twittering? Read this blog by the best twitter Michael Hyatt!

Nibby’s Twitter Mosaic

Get your twitter mosaic here.

I had the twitter mosaic posted on the blog recently but since it took so long to load- I have moved it off the blog.

What is your best Twitter Story?

Bicycles & Bicyclist’s - I have a heart for both!

2009-08-02T14:59:00.001-05:00

Bicycles have always been a part of my life. Pretty much all my life that I can remember I have owned at least one bicycle and have always had one close by wherever I have lived.

Before my driving age I was the kid that always wanted to be somewhere (place) different all the time. I found out early- if I wanted to go somewhere- I better just get on my bicycle and go.

I found myself riding the bicycle to my grandparents house or to the church or to the downtown area of Henderson KY (we lived in Highlander Acres in Henderson KY during my growing up years). I rode Kimsey Lane many times when it was a gravel road.

During the past 10 years I have been bicycling for fun and fitness.

I have participated in many organized bicycle rides and helped organize bicycle riding groups. Me along with several others started the annual Pickin and Pedlin Bicycle ride in Henderson Kentucky that is a part of the Bluegrass festival.

One fear that I have every time I get on the bicycle is that of a untimely death with a bicycle vehicle collision. You always have to be careful.

I have been very fortunate to have some of the very best riding partners. For many years Dave Nelson rode with me and now I ride with Mr Z (Pat Zimmerman). They have been the very best riding partners anyone could ever have-each watching out for one another.

Over the past few years I have had one dear friend loose his life in a bicycle/vehicle death and two others that have had connections to Henderson Kentucky.

Sam Wolf was a dear friend and he lost his life on Sunday October 1, 2006. He was bicycling on the Great American Pumpkin Metric bicycle ride. I knew Sam quite well since he was a early morning exercising person at my gym Tri-State Athletic Club. He is pedaling away in heaven now- he really was a big spinner too!

Rachel Speight lost her life in a bicycle-vehicle collision in Henderson County Kentucky in June 2006. She was from Houston Texas but was attending Yale University and was on a bicycling trip with a Habitat group that was going through Henderson County Kentucky. I never knew Ramie (as her friends called her), but do have a passion for bicycles and bicycling like she did. God bless her soul. I felt for her family experiencing this untimely death in a city where they didn’t know anyone. May her soul rest in peace.

Darryl Benefiel was a bicyclist and a former member of the Evansville Bicycle Club -even serving as the club president during in 1999. He moved from the Henderson/Evansville Metro area to California in the past few years. According to the Corona Dell, a California online newspaper article he was killed when a car turning struck him on his bicycle on July 23, 2009. He has ties to Henderson Kentucky.

Today, Sunday, August 2, 2009 Evansville Bicycle Club members have organized a memorial ride for Darryl Benefield. I participated in this ride. We had 11 bicyclist show up and give support to a family greiving for the lose of their dear family member. What a honor it was to me to participate in such a ride event. We bicycled from Atkinson Park in Henderson KY to the funeral home. I never knew of Darryl but feel connected to him since he has family from Henderson Kentucky and he shared a love for bicycling just like I do.

If you are looking for a bicycle check out the Henderson Kentucky bicycle shop Brecks Bicycle Shop.

Hug your fellow bicyclist today. If you are on a bicycle be careful. If you are driving a vehicle-- always be on the watch for a bicycles!

Share the Road!

Dah!

2009-07-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Words sometimes have bigger meanings than what we really expect and intend. Recently I learned of a word I have been using some “dah” and its negative connotation.

For years I have tried to refrain from using the words hate and stupid because of what the reflect and how oven they are used to take others down.

The television public service commercial about “hate” and its far reaching effects really made me notice that word.

I learned that “dah” is just like calling someone stupid so I am going to watch myself in the use of that as well.

Why is it some people feel they have to drop the F bomb in every sentence they use?

What are some common words that set you off?

Today is #45 and Very Blessed

2009-07-10T04:30:00.000-05:00

Yes, today is my 45th Birthday. Thank you for all the wonderful birthday wishes.

I have been blessed with some of the most diverse group of friends from just about everywhere.

My friends on twitter has continued to grown. Below are a few the people I want to especially say thank you to on my birthday.

Martha Garrett (aka SwitchingGranny) of Evansville Indiana. Martha is my prayer warrior she prays for me and so many others daily. Her desire to learn more about tech, social media and her relationship with God astounds me as she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. She was married at the age of 15 to her dear husband Tommy-whom I have much respect for as well. Martha and I have never met in person but will soon. Greg asked me who I wanted to invite for dinner on my birthday I instantly said Martha. Unfortunately she and Tommy already had plans.

Michael Hyatt -this man is a writing powerhouse. He is CEO and Publisher of Thomas Nelson publishers. Michael lives in Franklin Tennessee with his wife another dear Twitter person Gail Hyatt. Michael is a influencer in my life. His tweets and blog post inspire me in a greater way to develop myself and my skills to reach my life long goals. I call him my personal mentor. I have met Michael in person in Franklin and he is as real as his twitters and blog writings. His personal blog is a hodgepodge of writings that talk about everything from technology, fitness, book reviews to spirituality. I haven’t noticed him to talk much about cooking though.

Becky Durham was my first local (Henderson KY) twitter buddy. She is the youth director for Presbyterian Church of Henderson wife, mother and bicyclist. When you are around Becky you feel the warmth of the love of Jesus. We both have lived in this community for years but never knew each other till twitter.

Maurilio Amorim -how do I begin to describe him. Lets just say God loving father of two creative marketing genius. All of his tweets inspire me or make me laugh. He will crack you up with some of the things he says. God bless his dear wife Gwen for putting up with him and his stench. Maurilio also has a blog.

Michelle Tucker is a independent insurance agent like myself from Kansas. She too is funny and just a all around uplifting encouraging person. Nothing like a Kansas farm girl to brighten your day.

Ralph Smithers who is an executive with Motorist Mutual Insurance another encouraging uplifting father of three which includes a set of twin boys.

Steve Anderson a insurance agents technology guru who basically gave me the OK that is good for a Independent Insurance agent to twitter.

Pete Wilson the pastor of Crosspoint Church in Nashville TN. Has some of the shortest but profound twitter statements of anybody. Pete and I share the same birthday exactly 10 years apart. Pete’s sermons and vision of the word of God amazes me with is clarity and focus.

Thank you all of the friends listed above and to the many other twitter and facebook friends that continue to enrich my life and help me grow physically, mentally and spiritually through your positive comments about life.

My involvement over the past 24 months with Web 2.0 and social media has been a big enrichment to my life. I don't know where all this is going, but I do believe there is a plan for it somewhere in my life.

Of course I can’t make a post without mentioning my all time favorite celebrity Dolly Parton. She recorded “Jesus and Gravity” a few years ago. Take a moment to listen to the words of this song then go and lift someone up today like many of you have done for me.

How did you lift someone up today?

What is the most uplifting thing you have had done for you this week?

Summertime Entertaining is fun!

2009-07-04T14:02:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Greg and I hosted a alfresco veranda* dinner party.

The Dinner Party for six was a silent auction item that was given in part of the Spring Kitchen Tour benefit for Ohio Valley Art League.

Our dear friends Jerry & Adell Martin were the proud winners/purchasers of this silent auction dinner party. They invited both of their brothers and in-laws- Dennis & Debbie Martin and Bob & Kay English.

The dinner was simple Tequila Orange Grilled Shrimp (a Martha Stewart recipe) served over a bed of Basmati Cilantro Lime Rice. This was complimented by a grilled prime cut of beef filet from D&M Foods here in Henderson KY. Vegetables were a selection of home grown vegetables from the farmers marked and fire roasted.

The dessert was a delectable presentation of Bananas Foster. The dessert was not a traditional flaming foster but served with a homemade vanilla bean ice cream made in a Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine.

The flower arrangements were a wide assortment of summer blooming flowers and yes, all real. Greg has a incredible talent with making non-traditional flower arrangements.

Entertaining in your home can be a incredible experience. It doesn’t have to be fancy-- the thought is what counts! You will surprise yourself what you can do! Summertime is one of the best times of the year to entertain. Gather some veggies and some steaks and invite a few over one evening.

Our church Community Baptist Church is starting small groups of members that go and eat in homes our at a fun place as a means to get to know each other better. We are looking forward and already have a simple menu planned.

Yes, I am a full time Insurance Agent (not a gourmet chef) that enjoys good food and people to enjoy it with.

Below are a few of the pictures from the fun evening.

What are some of your favorite ways to entertain?

*Some of you would prefer I say Porch, but the architectural plans for house say veranda.

Creating Culture Together

2009-06-24T11:54:00.001-05:00

A community leader asked me today about a question on social media:

Is Social Media detrimental to productivity in the workplace?

Here is my response:

Basically what is happening is that many employers are loosing quality educated people because the prohibit these types of activities in the workplace. I might be different ,but I actually encourage social media use in the workplace and expect communication on that media to be like any other communication used in the office.

Since social media to the 20/30 age group crowd is like a pen and paper to the other generations by actually removing the ability to use this technology in the workforce we are actually putting a message out that says "we are not interested in the 20/30 something crowd".

That group of our society are flocking to other communities that have companies that embrace this type of activity in the work place and shunning smaller cities that might "hang on" to old values not because they don't want to but they fear the future.

A forward thinking blogger said yesterday "Sometimes we spend too much time defending the old thing, instead of working to take advantage of the new thing."

Last weekend Greg and I spent some great time in Franklin TN absorbing the culture. What a great place to see young, old, educated, spiritual, physically fit people working and living- creating culture together.

Creating a culture of EDUCATED people is a key to a any successful community.

What are some ways you can create culture in your community?

How are you using social media in your workplace?

What are some of your rules for using social media in your workplace?

Henderson Citizens Police Academy Summer Class Forming Now

2009-05-24T05:00:00.000-05:00

Just call me Deputy Nibby . . .

One of the most exciting programs I participated in 2004 was Henderson KY Police Department’s- Citizens Police academy.

It was a program that gave me up-close and personal information about the workings of the Henderson Police Department. I gained upmost respect for Henderson Police and the job they have to do.

It made me a better citizen and at the same time gave me greater respect for any law enforcement officer. (I have always had respect for them, but this gave me even more!)

As part of the program we visited the courthouse, the county jail, spent hours in the 911 Emergency Center, rode alongside a officer for a entire shift and fired a service revolver.

My favorite part was spending time in the 911 center.

I would highly recommend to program to anyone in Henderson.

The Henderson Police Department has another Citizens Police Academy starting very soon! The summer class is starting Tuesday night, June 2, 2009 from 6pm to 8pm weekly.

If you or know of someone that is interested you need to contact Wendy Sugg at 270.831.1295. If you do not get into this class another class is scheduled for Fall of 2009.

When was your last encounter with a law enforcement Officer?

Google Docs

2009-05-19T05:00:00.002-05:00

Chuck Stinnett of the The Gleaner (Henderson KY) newspaper wrote a great article in Sunday, May 17, 2009 newspaper about Google.com docs and how a small restaurant business here in Henderson is using Google docs to market his business.

Click HERE to read the article.

Surprisingly this is a very simple process as he outlined.

Several examples of Google docs are used in my small business website. Our Privacy page is a Google document so are several of our frequent asked questions pages for our partner companies.

My church has used Google Docs with our Upward Basketball League.

Google Docs is a great tool and a alternative to those who need to get information out fast and don't want to spend a lot of money.

Google provides a great video that explains how it all works.

What ways can you use Google Docs in your business, church or home computing needs?

Do you really need Microsoft Office Suite of products?

Product Review: The Yankee Flipper Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

2009-05-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

During one of my frequent travels to Franklin TN we visited the local True Value Hardware store Harpeth True Value Homecenter. Actually we saw two product that caught our attention. One was the Yankee Flipper Squirrel Feeder. The other one I will review later.

We were simply amazed by the video that was playing continually beside the product. It was so funny. Check it out below.

The official Yankee Flipper video can be seen HERE.

We never laughed so hard watching hungry Squirrels getting flipped off this well built feeder.

The feeder is constructed quite well. The birds really enjoy. It is being emptied at least twice at week. The feeder is placed at a private residence that adjoins one of the area’s most respected birding locations John James Audubon State Park. The park is a bird sanctuary.

We positioned the feeder in two different locations trying to get a glimpse of them trying to eat from the feeder. We have had the feeder up in place since April 1, 2009. We have never been able to catch a squirrel on the feeder. Disappointing.

We think possibly that the squirrel has been flipped off of the feeder when we were not looking. Several times the squirrel has been seen looking up at the feeder thinking about making a move on it but does not. Again, disappointing.

The birds however have really been enjoying the Black Oil Sunflower seed.

One thing for sure is the people at Droll Yankees did a great job creating a hilarious video that made us buy the product.

If you are looking for a bird feeder that is squirrel proof this is the one! If you are looking for a bird feeder with some entertainment value, this is NOT the product! This feeder works too good for the squirrels in this neighborhood. They are very smart squirrels.

What do you do to keep pesky squirrels off of your bird feeder?

Do you have a Yankee Flipper? If so how are you getting the squirrels to play on it like the video show?

Email Clean Up

2009-04-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been working to decrease the amount of email that hits my inbox. Over the years I have used rules inside of outlook to automatically move messages from some senders to various folders inside of outlook and review them when I have time.

Now the problem exist that those folders are becoming over flowing.

Google Reader has helped me greatly to improve my email organization. Many emails that I receive are also available as RSS feeds so I have unsubscribe from the emails and subscribed to the RSS feeds through Google Reader. Google reader is organizing all my once emails into a nice RSS feed. An example I read several hundred blogs. I used to have emails come in whenever new blogs are posted to remind me to read them. With Google Reader I no longer have to subscribe- they come to my Google reader.

Google reader gives you several other tools. If you have a item that you think others might like to read you can email to them right out of Google Reader.

Google Reader also allows you to create a shared items page of your favorite reads for others to read. You can read my shared items page at www.nibby.net/reader.

Using all this new web 2.0 technology I still get the dreaded forward messages from many people. Most of which I always delete.

I found http://www.stopforwarding.us/ its a great kind way to encourage people who send you those redundant forwards to stop.

What have you done to help rid yourself of email hell?

Administrative Professional Day

2009-04-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today is Administrative Professionals Day (April 22, 2009) formerly known as Secretary’s Day. Who has secretaries now days? Many times I am asked by a client if they should talk to my “secretary”. I laugh. Mainly because I have never had a secretary and have always done my own dictation and letter writing and anything else a *secretary*in a office might do.

I do have several references to secretaries in my life that bring me a smile of happiness.

First is the secretary that Dolly Parton played in my all time favorite movie 9 to 5.

This morning Dolly was on the Today Show talking about her new Broadway show 9 to 5.

Wow even this morning while at the gym I had to listen to some 9 to 5 music! Love that song.

Second when I think of administrative professionals formerly known as secretaries I think of the secretaries that worked a local law firm here in Henderson KY. They are legal secretaries at Dorsey, King, Gray, Norment & Hopgood.

Back in 1983 I worked for this firm as their cleaning person while in Junior college. I later returned after graduation from college and worked for them again and also ended up doing computer work for them.

These ladies are true professionals. Many of them have had life long careers as secretaries in this firm. It is often said in this small town about the Dorsey secretaries “might as well be lawyers, cause they know just as much if not more than the lawyers do!”.

These ladies were truly a inspiration to me in my young life and I know they have been for many others too. I sure wish they would go back to wearing those high heeled shoes! This firm secretaries are know for being some of the sharpest dressers! They always the most beautiful professional attire. It seems like when we stopped using the word secretary – classy dressing went away too.

The picture above was taken on November 4, 1983. It was the open house for this law firm new office building. In the picture is LuAnn Ison Breece, Mary Nell Shewmaker, Kaye Warner (deceased), Myrna Cavanaugh, Charla Denton Smithhart. Do you know the sisters that are in this picture?

Do you have a special secretary in your life?

Do you know these special ladies? What stories do you have to tell about them?

Technorati Tags: Secretary,Lawyers,Henderson KY,Legal

OVAL Kitchen Tour- April 24, 2009

2009-04-21T21:12:00.000-05:00

One organization in Henderson KY that has been very near and dear to me over the years is Ohio Valley Art League.

This Saturday (April 24, 2009) OVAL is having the largest fund raiser that they have all year.

The OVAL Kitchen Tour is a event where local homes open up there kitchens for a tour. This event has been going on for several years and each year gains more acclaim.

Each homeowner allows ticket holders to see the design of the kitchen and equipment used in the kitchen.

Each home has a celebrity chef making some delectable food item that the participants can taste. The tickets to the event are a recipe book with all the recipes of the items that are being prepared in all of the homes. A keepsake for sure!

Several of the homes are within walking distance of my house.

Besides a cooking demonstration going on in the kitchens other things will be going on as well. The Hazelwood home will feature a herb and flower sale. The Lane/Shelton home will have a live potter and pottery for sale. A silent auction will be going on at the Wilson home. April Robinson will be selling her latest art photography book at the Link home and there will be a display of Southern Living Tablescapes at the Stinson house. The Fidler home will have representatives from the Henderson County Extension office

The website for the event is http://www.ohiovalleyart.org/ktour

A personal note:

I along with my company Vaughn Insurance will be offering a item at the silent auction. It is a Sunset Dinner Party & Fireworks on Saturday, July 4, 2009. This dinner party of Filets and Firecracker Shrimp and sides will be served on the veranda of my home at 330 North Water St overlooking Sunset Park and the Mighty Ohio River the night of Henderson’s annual Fireworks display.

Can you imagine having a front row seat for the fireworks and enjoy a nice dinner too? All for a good cause- Ohio Valley Art League.

Alternative dates for this dinner party auction item are available and subject to hosts availability. The dinner party must be redeemed by 8/15/2009.

The party is for six guests. Two additional guest may be invited with a extra donation to OVAL based on the winning bid amount. An example of this would be if winning bid is $600 then to add two additional guest you would need to make an additional $200 contribution to OVAL. Sounds great doesn’t it?

Do you need tickets for OVAL Kitchen tour? If you mention to me that you have seen this blog I will give you a discount! If you buy insurance from me—better yet—I will give you a ticket! You can’t beat that!

What is your favorite home on this years OVAL Kitchen Tour?

Read the Gleaner News Paper Article about the tour by Donna Stinnett.

City Museum in St Louis Missouri

2009-04-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Where do you take two kids on spring break that is *not* Florida?

City Museum in St Louis is a very unique place. The eclectic collection of attractions mainly for children was opened in 1997.

We enjoyed the adventure immensely. The entire museum if composed of recycled elements of buildings. Everything from fuselages of old planes, old busses, anything that might have served its useful life was reclaimed and reused in this one of a kind exhibit.

The City Museum website touts that there is over 600,000 square feet of exhibit space. Many of the exhibits are active where kids can crawl, climb, jump, paint, walk, run to experience them.

It is a far cry from a Disney attraction. Disney wants to queue participants, tell them what to see, make them sit in a specific place and time the entire experience. Let’s just say Disney and theme parks in general are very programmed and do not allow you to experience in a free form environment. City Museum is very free form. You experience what you want when you want it. There are no directional signs it is free form kids entertainment.

We found this to be a quite rewarding place to visit. City Museum in present times now because we are all being taught/told that we need to reuse and conserve because of the US current economic situation.

Below is a short video of our experience.

What would Walt Disney think of City Museum?

River & Kally Visit City Museum from Nibby Priest on Vimeo.

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful Easter weekend we had. Probably my most favorite holiday of the year is Good Friday. This is one holiday that there are no expectations, no gifts to buy, no hurrying to get from place to place. Just a pure day of relaxation and refreshment preparing for the triumphant reminder of the risen Lord on Easter Sunday.

This year was unique that we didn’t have a Easter Egg hunt for the kids. They went to the other grandmothers house for Easter.

The adults enjoyed a “kid free” Easter lunch.

Saturday morning I started the prep for the Sunday meal. Lots of unique items went into this menu.

The Spice Carrot Cake contained spices that Mary could have taken to the tomb.

The vegetable dish was a sauté of Snow Peas, Jicama and Morels. Morels are a reminder to me of the beautiful spring and how they pop up from the ground so quickly reminds me of Christ rising from the dead. One thing to remember about morels, if you find them growing somewhere and you harvest them, don’t tell others where you found them. They are like gold. Morels have a sweet nutty flavor. Sherry Wine enhances that flavor.

See Slideshow below of the days food and event.

Did you hear about the Easter Bunny being inside my fridge when I opened it up Sunday morning? I asked him what he was doing in there and he said, “Isn’t this a Westinghouse?”.

Happy Easter 2009.

Email Bomb!

2009-04-08T20:50:00.001-05:00

We just returned from a few days of adventure and relaxation and just plain ole doing something different with my niece and nephew River & Sister Kally in St Louis Missouri.

We did several things all of were quite different and somewhat ordinary.

We laughed a lot, played games, talked listened to music. All good.

Constantly I am working because of my *choice* to have technological gadgets (e.g. iPhone) and make myself totally connected. I realized what a impact that has on my ability to disconnect. Having and being a part of a small business has its perks, but many times you pay the cost in other areas of your life.

I constantly checked my iPhone for the latest email messages. Several came and really didn’t realize how many came in till I consciously decided not to look at it every time I heard the chime of a new email in the box. I felt the need to constantly check my twitter feed and my Facebook notifications.

Many times when I looked at my email they were another “bomb email” from the office and it put a damper on my mood and ability to communicate with the people that I was with.

So I few times I felt this was a negative in my ability to have a good time on vacation.

Do you think it is important when you go on vacation to turn off your email and other means to be connected?

“I just wanted to look like the Town Tramp . . .”

2009-04-05T20:10:00.001-05:00

Tonight 60 Minutes did a nice interview with my iconic hero Dolly Parton.

Watch that video below:

Watch CBS Videos Online

I have never seen her tear up on TV. Notice that she never let her mascara run. I never have heard the “pig” story either. That story is somewhat strange, but leave it to Dolly.

What do we have to learn from people like Dolly Parton?

By the way her funky pink rocker at the Cracker Barrel stores are not selling well. The Henderson KY Store Still has number 16 of 1350.

This is a picture of me sitting in this rocking chair. No, I am not going to buy it!

I can’t remember your name . . .

2009-03-27T09:20:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been out somewhere and a person comes up to you and says hello and calls you by name and you can’t begin to think of that persons name?

My parents are notorious about asking me “who is that?”. Many times now I say to them before they have the chance “I don’t know who that is”.

I am so embarrassed that I can’t remember peoples names.

My excuse has been for years is that I work with a headset and computer in front of me and I can’t remember anything unless I have my computer in my face. Yes, computers/databases have made me lazy when it comes to truly memorizing peoples names.

Last night while shopping at the big box store it happened to me twice.

At first I just acted like I knew the person (which I actually did) and tried to play it off. I thought for a brief second and thought to myself –how fake! either you know the person or you don’t.

The way I handled the situation was to genuinely say “I’m embarrassed, but I can’t think of your name”. I did that and felt much better.

People are so important to me and my family. We love people and our relationships with various people.

One thing I am going to make a conscious effort to do is when I am in that situation to ASK their name and make another conscious effort to remember it.

What do you do when you can’t think of someone’s name and they know you?

Exclusive Dolly Parton CD & Rocking Chair Coming to Cracker Barrel's March 23

2009-03-20T15:06:00.001-05:00

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is the proud exclusive retailer of Dolly’s latest CD. The album features 3 new tracks hand-picked by Dolly. Plus, new photos & artwork. Cracker Barrel will also have Dolly Rockers. They are PINK. Dont know if I need one or not, but thinking about it.

Click this icon to go to CMT and register to get tickets to see Dolly’s one and only Broadway show “9 to5”.

I have a Dolly Parton Pinball machine that is driving me crazy in my garage. I can’t imagine departing with it, but it is very difficult to move.

Do I *really* want/need a Dolly Parton Pink Rocking chair?

Liquid Life in Downtown Henderson

2009-03-18T09:43:00.001-05:00

Henderson own Keith Vincent will be performing in Downtown Henderson at the Liquid Life Coffee House Saturday night March 28 at 7:00.

Come and join all the fun!

Bring your favorite coffee mug.

Facebook Tips

2009-03-15T12:22:00.000-05:00

Well If you would have asked me back in September if I would have ever logged in to Facebook.com I would have told you NO WAY.

I even went as far as to block (using www.opendns.org) all social media except twitter.com from both my office and home.

December 20, 2008 I cautiously and quietly signed up for Facebook.com

Yes, it has been fun and a way to connect with many people of the past and get to know others that I see infrequently. Especially those that I know from afar from insurance trade related functions.

I went as far as creating facebook.com fan pages for our family insurance business Vaughn Insurance and our family owned Bed & Breakfast, L&N Bed and Breakfast.

Some basic tips that I have found helpful:

1. When Facebook.com asks for your birthday choose “don’t show year”. I say this not because I don’t want others to know how old I am, but I feel that is a piece of personal information that others may not need to know. This is one piece of ‘Personal identity” that could accelerate identity theft.

2. Check your privacy settings- I only show my information, friends, pictures with people whom I choose to be my friends.

3. Check your notification settings. I have chosen to remove all email notifications. I don’t need anymore emails than I already have been coming to my email account.

4. If you are uncomfortable about someone being your friend just ignore. They don’t get any notification that you did not friend them. Always remember that Facebook.com *requires* you to represent yourself as you really are not some vanity name. No more screen like “hothousewife312” like AOL allowed us to do in the early years of web 1.0!

5. I never accept anything other than friends and sometimes events. If you send me a birthday request, a cause or any other third party application inside of Facebook.com more than likely I will ignore. The reason is that it junks up your wall and downloads cookies and possible spyware on your local workstation.

A few of my co-workers are on facebook. My father Norris Priest is on facebook.

Honestly, I really don’t know what I think about facebook.com- I like twitter.com better! You can follow me at www.twitter.com/nibbyp

What are some tips you have about using facebook.com?

Are you using Facebook.com for business purposes?

Do you think companies and small business should encourage their staff to use social media responsible in the workplace?

Who is Hugh? He would be proud . .

2009-03-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

Well if Hugh Edward Sanderfur would have been living today- he sure would have been proud.

Today I attended the art opening of “Disabling the Myth”.

What a great exhibit! Susie Rideout you deserve nothing but praise for putting this together and working with these adults.

This is the most heart warming art exhibit that I go to every year!

You can read more about the exhibit from this Henderson Gleaner Article.

The exhibit is in the rotunda at the Henderson County Public Library till April 2, 2009.

Information about previous years exhibits at: http://www.hesandefur.com/artist_within.htm

Hugh Edward Sanderfur Training Center

Geocaching- Kentucky Boi Travel Bug (TB50B3)

2009-02-28T14:58:00.001-06:00

Back in early 2000 I started Geocaching it was like many new technological things and many people had never heard of it back then but now lots of people are enjoying Geocaching. It is a great sport that involves travel, outdoors, exercise and use of computer/internet.

We hid a Geocache on the property of our family owned bed and breakfast on July 6, 2003. As of today River’s Railroad Cache has been found 218 times! The cache is named after my nephew River Priest. He continues to contribute to the success of the Geocache by checking on it frequently.

We have had a great time watching and talking to the people who find the Geocache. They have taken many pictures of our downtown. Many people have just came to Henderson KY just to find this geocache.

This is too funny. Back on November 14, 2002 I was vacationing in the Keys of Florida. I hid in a very popular Geocache a travel bug called “Kentucky Boi”. That travel bug along with the Barbie Head attached has traveled over 10,000 and is presently trying to make it back to Kentucky. You might might be able to view the travel bug here but it might require you to be a member of Geocaching.com.

Henderson KY has several Geocaches. One that is quite fun to find is very close to the caboose that is located in the back on the new Henderson Welcome center. The name of that cache is called “Welcome to Henderson”.

Just this week I installed the Geocaching iPhone application. More on what I think of that later. So far it looks like another killer application for the iPhone.

Want to know more about Geocaching? CLICK HERE

Sister & River are you ready to go on a day long adventure Geocaching? Perhaps Chicago on a train?

Have you ever been Geocaching? Tell me about your adventure.

Article in Evansville Courier paper about Geocaching (5/22/2009)

The Visual Arts in Henderson KY

2009-02-14T08:46:00.001-06:00

One of the really interesting things about living in a small town as Henderson Kentucky is the importance we place on visual arts. We have a very active arts community both visually and performing.

One organization that I have been a part of for over 12 years is the Ohio Valley Art League. Under the direction of Jule McClellan.

Jule is like the energizer bunny. She never stops running! We would not have the vibrant visual arts community in Henderson if it was not for people like Jule McClellan.

Just this week she went to Frankfort KY and received a Kentucky Arts Council grant for OVAL.

This weekend an exhibit opens at the First Methodist Church called “The Art of Well-Being VII”. This is a incredible exhibit encourages artist to “interpret well-being as he/she feels” in any medium. Jule has worked with the organization of this show.

The exhibit opens Sunday, February 15 at 3:00 pm. A piano concert by Mary Ann McClure Blackwell and Jica Crafton at 3:30. During intermission the art show winners will be announced.

What a great way to mix art, music, healthy living and spirituality in one experience. My hat goes off to the organizers at First Methodist Church Henderson KY for hosting and organizing this fine exhibit of art.

What do you think of the visual arts in Henderson KY? Have you ever attended a function of Ohio Valley Art League?

Where did you get a name like Nibby?

2009-02-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

I’m often asked that question. My official name is Norris Nisbet Priest. Since my father and I have the same first name, we decided to use the shorted British name for Nisbet—Nibby. I don’t consider Nibby a nickname since I have always been called Nibby, even before my birth. Everyone calls me Nibby, and I sign everything Nibby Priest. To me Nibby is my real name, and I am quite proud of its distinctiveness.

But, how did I get the name Nibby?

My parents, Norris Odene and Mary Elizabeth Priest, married in August 1958 and moved into a small apartment on North Main Street in downtown Henderson, Kentucky. They were soon cautioned watch out for two sisters who lived in the house next door to the apartment.

The sisters, my parents were warned, were sometimes difficult to deal with.

This past August (2008) my parents (Norris & Mary Elizabeth) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

As fate would have it, my parents became friendly with the sisters, although one of them, Miss Elizabeth McLaughlin, was confined to the home and died in 1959.

The surviving sister’s name was Miss Mabel Nisbet McLaughlin, but my family referred to her as Granny Mabel. She became quite fond of my parents and in 1964, when my mother was pregnant with me, my parents decided to name me Nisbet in her honor.

Granny Mabel thought I hung the moon and she spoiled me rotten. Many days when I was six and seven years old, Granny Mabel and I sat on her front porch and sold chocolate milk or tea to the people walking by on Main Street.

We often watched “Old Man Vaughn,” sharply dressed in his black overcoat and top hat, get out of his big black Cadillac and walk directly across the street to his business, the Vaughn Insurance Agency Co.

Granny Mabel died on December 7, 1971. She had a stroke and, even though I was only seven years old, I remember it very vividly. I was the last person that she was able to talk with before her death.

Another connection about my name Nibby and Granny Mabel is that, ironically, in August 1974—three years after Granny Mabel’s death—my father bought an interest in the Vaughn Insurance Agency Co., the same business whose owner Granny Mabel and I had watched so many times.

In 1986 my parents moved from the “suburbs” of Henderson and purchased their current residence at 319 North Main Street, across the street from their first apartment and from Granny Mabel’s house, and two doors from their insurance agency.

Three years later, I purchased a house at 330 North Water Street, the street behind my parents’ house and the insurance agency, and I lived their for almost a year. Then my father’s mother, Violet Littlepage Priest, needed to move to town from the little country town of Hebbardsville (home of Bluff City University—BCU—try to find that on the Internet!).

Violet (my grandmother) moved into the North Water Street house so she could be closer to my parents. At the time my grandmother moved into the Water Street house, I moved to a residence about three miles outside of downtown Henderson, Kentucky. Violet passed away in December of 2002.

The spring of 2004 the Water St house was razed and I built a new home where I reside today.

I have worked at Vaughn Insurance since 1984 years and I continue to be amazed at the coincidence of circumstances that brought my family and me to this location and this business.

Granny Mabel would be so proud today to see and know that her namesake Nibby’s office window at Vaughn Insurance looks directly at the front porch of her home place and that my parents and grandmother are all within one city block of each other!

For all of this I am grateful of my name NIBBY and of my rich family heritage!

I know of only one other person named Nibby—Frank Nisbet “Nibby” King, Jr., a local lawyer (entire firm of DKGNH) whom I use for my personal legal matters.

Have you ever known of anyone who has “Nibby” for their name? If so let me know!

We got some Extra Help at the Insurance Agency today

2009-01-30T15:18:00.001-06:00

My niece Sister Kally Priest has been out of her house (and school too) since Tuesday because of the lack of power.

She has along with her parents have been nesting quite comfortable at the Priest family home on North Main and L&N Bed and Breakfast.

This afternoon she made herself useful and assisted us in handling claim inquires here at Vaughn Insurance.

One of her first tasks was to write a story about frozen pipes and how it causes damage.

Here is the story she wrote with some help from an insurance publication:

Need Electric Service Repaired in Henderson KY?

2009-01-28T16:33:00.001-06:00

It seems that many people will be needing to contact an electrician in Henderson KY.

Below is a listing (in no particular order) of Electricians that are in the Henderson Phone book:

Mr. Electric 270.831.6533 They are for sure answering phones! A client was able to get a promise the would be out on Thursday 1/29/09 for repairs.

Parven Schriber Electric 270.860.1603

Galloway Electric 270.826.1224

Owens Electric 270.826.2131

Jameson Electric 270.826.6386

Caton’s Electric 270.827.9764 (Think they are same as Mr. Electric)

Demar Electric 270.827.0326

Vaughn Insurance Agency & Henderson KY under state of Emergency

2009-01-28T08:24:00.001-06:00

Due to the entire county of Henderson Kentucky (KY) being under a state of emergency our physical office is closed today.

We do offer multiple client service options for our clients to communicate with our agency:

1. Telephone: Our main switchboard line 270.827.3505 is staffed by licensed agents awaiting your calls to answer questions about claims.

2. Internet: We maintain client chat services with a live licensed agent at www.govaughn.com/chat, please click this link and speak to a agent via internet chat

3. Direct Report: All of our partner companies offer direct reporting of emergency claims see our claims page on our internet site for those numbers.

Things to remember if you have a claim situation from this ice/snow storm.

1. Do everything possible to keep the damages from becoming worse than what they are presently

2. If you have power lines down. Stay away and call power company or 911

3. All claims relating to ice/snow are subject to homeowners policy deductible which is usually $500 or $1000.

Our agency is a Trusted Choice agency! Click Here for Our pledge to you our client- and we take it seriously!

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Claim Situations so far:

Trees Down, Utility Connection pulled from house, car slid off in ditch, Broken windshield from fallen tree.

Life with AMS 360

2009-01-16T19:02:00.000-06:00

Well today we celebrate one month for the Insurance Agency being on AMS 360. We are doing quite well. It is hard to believe that we used one piece of software AMS AfW for over 12 years!

Wow! Those people at the AGENA Corporation back in 1991 when they introduced AfW didn’t realize what a incredible product they were creating was.

Our training was done completely online with webinars. First time I have ever done a training like that. It went well and I would recommend to others. We saved tons of money by doing training this way.

Everyone seems to be doing fine. We need to get our form letters cleaned up and we have a lot of information that needs to be completed for our Companies and Vendors. We intend on decommission our intranet since most of the information on that internal site can be kept in AMS 360.

I look for other agents who are going through this migration experience.

The biggest key to remember when you go through this is that this software is NOT AMS AfW!

(I haven’t been blogging lately since I have had a hard time with formatting of my blogs. I am using today Windows Live Blog Writer. I am impressed with its functionalability)

Technorati Tags: AMS,AMS 360,Insurance Agency,Vaughn Insurance,Henderson KY

A Talent Worth Sharing ...A dear friend Jica Crafton

2008-09-27T11:26:00.012-05:00

If you have not had a chance to look at the Henderson Gleaner Newspaper this morning you need to pick up a copy. Donna Stinnett wrote a great article about our own Jica Crafton and tomorrow's concert "Musical Tapestry by Jica Crafton" and the release of her CD titled the same.

The concert is tomorrow, Sunday, September 28 at 2:30 pm at Community Baptist Church.

A sample of the program (song/set list) can be found by clicking HERE.

A great quote cited in this article:

"Not only is she a fine accompanist -- who actually practices and prepares for our rehearsals -- but she is so calm and adaptable. And believe me, those are important characteristics to have in rehearsal and performance situations, Jica is great to work with. She's talented and fun and enthusiastic," she added. "I am so thankful that her schedule allows her to share her talents not only with the Community Chorus but with HCHS choruses and to Community Baptist Church, too."--Heather McCormick,(director of Henderson Community Chorus)

Be sure to read the online article at The Gleaner and we look forward to seeing you at the Concert tomorrow. You will not want to miss it. One note of correction the website for the church should read http://www.communitybaptistchurch.org/. This has been corrected on the online version of The Gleaner and only was misprinted in the print edition.

An audio CD will be available after the concert. The suggested donation for the CD is $10. All proceeds go to ministries of Community Baptist Church.

You can listen to a SNEAK PREVIEW of one of the pieces Jica will play at the concert at http://www.communitybaptistchurch.org/. Look for the "SNEAK PREVIEW" tab.

New Corporate Website Design for GoVaughn.com

2008-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

After many months of work and tweaks my family business Vaughn Insurance Agency releases our newest designed website.

Our agency went online in 1997 and has maintained a continuous presence.

Our long time web designer Nancy Revell came up with another true design for us.

Some new features introduced in this is many options for Client Services now:
*Chat with a Vaughn Insurance Agency Represent
*Request Policy Change
*Request a Policy Proposal from all personal lines and some commercial lines
*Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for all of our partner companies

Check it out www.govaughn.com

Thank you Nancy Revell for another great design--its been a great ride over the past 10 years. We were one of her first website designs.

The Latte 15 Years Later

2008-09-19T22:11:00.015-05:00

It was the fall of 1993 when I flew out of Evansville Indiana into St Louis Missouri and met two other ladies that worked for the then AGENA Corporation. We flew from St Louis Missouri to Seattle Washington. The flight was long about 4 hours.

When we arrived in Seattle it was very late around 11 pm. We got in a cab from the SeaTac Airport and were on our way to a hotel close to the Bothell Washington offices of the then AGENA Corporation (know known as AMS Services).

One of the ladies (sorry but I can’t remember there names) had the cab driver stop at a place called “Starbucks”. I asked, “Why are we stopping here?” they said “to get a Latte”, for the rural Kentucky boy I again asked “What’s that?”

Well they showed me. I don’t think that I slept the rest of that trip. To start with I had a bad head cold and really couldn’t smell or taste anything—but I love that Latte.

While I was in Seattle for that trip I stayed over an extra day and ventured downtown Seattle to check out the city. One thing that was going on while I was in town is that there was a trade show going on for people in the Coffeehouse business. I had really never heard of such other than the coffee shop on the bottom floor of the Community Methodist Hospital in Henderson where my grandmother worked for many years on Friday nights.

So I ventured into this coffeehouse trade show in downtown Seattle. I learned about espresso, roasting coffee, what a barista was, and coffee flavorings—just about everything that was becoming the rage of the coffee business boom.

When I came back to Henderson I couldn’t wait to tell others about my findings. That same week Dave & Connie Walasky were preparing to open “Planters Coffeehouse” in downtown Henderson. I knew of the Walasky’s but did not know them well. From the first day they opened the doors of Planters till when they sold the business I was in there every morning purchasing my latte. Dave made my lattes for several years then he turned it over person whom too became another dear friend in life Donna Hatfield.

Well my love for coffee and especially the Venti Non-Fat Latte all began in Seattle some 15 years ago and this week I am back in Seattle.

Hats off to a great city that makes a great Latte! Thanks to Starbucks and the many great independent shops who too have made coffee and coffeehouses a great place for people to be and be seen just as they are!

The picture above is that of the very first Starbucks Coffeehouse across the street from Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle Washington.

Thanks Starbucks for many years of GREAT LATTES-- and I look forward to many more and more trips back to Seattle to remind me how special they are!

River & Sister enjoy Shrimp Cocktail

2008-08-29T18:47:00.002-05:00

Question to Sister Kally: What do you remember about 50th Anniversary Weekend

2008-08-28T16:04:00.005-05:00

1. There were a lot of old people there

2. Tea and Lemonade were served

3. Mark wore a suit (Mark is our full time staff maintenance guy)

Downtown Henderson Power Plant to Close! HURRAY!

2008-08-26T16:17:00.033-05:00

The Henderson Gleaner reported this afternoon that the Water St Power Plant is going to close December 31, 2008. This is great news when you live less than one block from these terrible soot producing smoke stacks.

Almost every day I have to wipe down my veranda table and handrails of all the soot this power plant produces.So no soot next summer! Hurray!

For more about Henderson Municipal Power and where they will produce electricity for Henderson in future go to http://www.hmpl.com/

Parents 50th Wedding Anniversary Weekend-Dinner Party

2008-08-25T21:55:00.008-05:00

Well I think that I am rested after a wonderful weekend celebrating my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Saturday night was a dinner party at the Water Street house for 30 of my parents friends. Everything went off with out a hitch. The alfresco dining could have been a few degrees cooler but we made it fine. You can view the photo album of this dinner party HERE.

Sunday afternoon the reception was at the First Baptist Church (my growing up church and my parents present church). We had over 200 people sign the guest register. It was a great ocassion. Pictures will be up soon from the reception. Be sure to come back and visit.

Parents 50th Wedding Anniversary August 24

2008-08-16T12:45:00.012-05:00

Well the countdown is on for the parents 50th Wedding Anniversary. On the agenda is a alfresco dinner party at the Water St house for 24 of my parents close friends on Saturday evening and a reception at the church on Sunday afternoon.

It has been a lot of fun looking at all of there old pictures to make a video of the 50 years of marriage.

Since my father, Norris, has always been involved in magic and is an accomplished magician himself the weekend is being called "50 Magical Years of Marriage".

One interesting tidbit that I think is that my parents were married at First Baptist-Henderson and continually have been active members of that church their entire married life. What an accomplishment. We only know of one other couple that can say they have too. Are there others?

An afternoon at Ellis Park

2008-07-31T12:30:00.009-05:00

This afternoon Bubby and I took the afternoon off to go to our local Horse Racing Track in Henderson County Ellis Park. We had a great time. We did some betting on the ponies and we won several races. We ate good ole junk food and just enjoyed ourselves on a very hot Kentucky day. Racing really works your math skills. I was amazed how quickly my 11 year old nephew could calculate the odd/winnings. He will be a Holy Name 6th grader this year.

It did seem like the attendance was a little low. Several of the races many horses were scratched. I hope Ellis can make it in Henderson County. It has been around for many years.

As as child we never went to the races. If you were baptist back in the 70's 80's gambling was not a good thing and you would never take your *kids* there. I remember our neighbor Maxine (my housekeeper now days) worked the track. I remember on summer our church did some mission work on the backside of the track.

My favorite recollection of the track is to be in the presence of Mrs. Ruth Adkins the former manager of the track. What a lady. When I did computer accounting consulting some Mrs. Adkins was a client of mine. She was a delightful lady and shared many stories about her and Judy's work at the track. She was a strong business woman back in the 70's with a very caring heart. I compare her many times to Dolly Parton. Ruth wears a wig too :)

Check out Ellis Park this summer. The meet runs till Labor Day.

What is the Train carrying now?

2008-07-17T13:00:00.002-05:00

When you live near the railroad you never know what passes through your town. Today at lunch when leaving the office I looked up at the rail road and these huge propellers were on the train tracks. I did a little investigation and found that they were on their way to North Dakota. They are windmill blades for an electricity farm.

The future of electricity I assume.

With as many trains that come through Henderson (sometimes 50 per day) I'm glad to know that it was something that is good for our environment. Many times I think that the tanker cars on the trains carry very dangerous chemicals. Living as close as I do to the tracks I am always ready for a quick evacuation.

The 44 cake

2008-07-06T13:02:00.004-05:00

Nib's celebrates 44 this year! Thanks Bubby and Martha for a beautiful Birthday Cake

Henderson's Farmers Market

2008-06-28T14:00:00.005-05:00

After a Saturday bicycle ride in the county Nib's enjoys shopping at our local farmers market.

Every Saturday morning the market appears at the corner of 2nd and Main Street and has a wide assortment of fresh produce.

This Saturday the beets were especially good. Bub's and Nibby really enjoyed this selection.

Flowering Tea

2008-06-14T15:45:00.011-05:00

During the month of February Bubby and I spent some time in NYC. One of the neatest places we choose to eat was a place called Sanctuary Tea. They served a incredible Flower tea. The tea is served in a stemmed clear glass and you place a bulb looking tea bag in the bottom of the glass as it seeps it turns and blooms into this beautiful flower with incredible aroma and great tasting tea.

I had never seen this before. Today I was shopping at Tarjay and notice that they were carrying the flowering tea so I bought some. They are carrying this brand http://www.primulatea.com/. I found it to be good and something different.

It's hard to belive on a hot day like today that I am drinking hot tea as my relax in drink but it is in a clear glass not a mug. Try some of this unique tea and let me know what you think.

Red beans & Rice are popular

2008-06-12T17:19:00.003-05:00

Thursday evening marked Zydico night at Handy Festival here on the Ohio River in downtown Henderson Kentucky.

The line for the Red Beans and Rice and Bread Pudding was long for over two hours.

Several IIAH members volunteered at the Java Shake Booth.

2008-06-12T15:08:00.001-05:00

The Handy Festival in Henderson started last evening.

Check www.handyblues.org for more information.

Think living in a small town there is NOTHING to do? If so think again!

2008-05-18T06:29:00.008-05:00

Some people belive if you live in a small town there is NOTHING to do! Well that is absolutly not ture. There was so much to do yesterday (Saturday, May 17, 2008) that we could not do it all.

1. First Missionary Baptist Church had a 5k. Its nice to see the African American Church organzing and pulling off and event like this especially in our downtown.

2. The Delta Queen came to town today. Its always good to have that boat in your front yard. As always the passgenger we eagar to see what downtown Henderson has to offer. I wonder how many of them will be carrying shoe bags when the return from the ship?

3. Homegrown Bluegrass Festival in Audubon Park. Hats of to Audubon Park staff for creating such a nice festival. The food especially the spiral potatoe chips were excellent. I was really hungry too. The music was good too. I listen to a set in which Barry Denton from Henderson played. We are so fortunate in this town to have so much good talent.

4. Newburgh Indiana (Across the Ohio River from Henderson) had a incredible little festival called "Historic Newburgh Wine and Arts Festival". We got there late and didn't have as much time as we wanted to (mainly because we had so much to do in Henderson). We did get to to check out the art and sample some wine from about 10 different reginal vendors. We did buy a bottle of some very dry wine that I sampled and really liked.

Henderson artist Ginger Adams and Chris Thomas had art work on display at the festival.

We learned about a upcoming "Strawberry" festival coming up next weeked we will probably go and check out as well. Wonder how the strawberry crop is going to be this year with all the rain.

Bike to Work Week

2008-05-12T16:58:00.004-05:00

TOP-3 REASONS TO BIKE TO WORK (courtesy of the League of American Bicyclists)

1.Stay fit Bicycle commuting allows you to include your workout in your daily schedule Riding a bike instead of your car sitting in traffic is less stressful Staying in better shape will decrease your chances of getting sick

2. Avoid traffic delays Off-road trails, bike lanes and wide curb lanes allow you to ride past traffic Bike commuting takes less time when you account for car parking and traffic Longer rides can result in less traffic and more enjoyment of your commute

3. Save money Maintenance costs for your automobile will decrease, as will your gas bill You will save money on parking (and tickets) You won't have to have a membership to a gym to workout So what are you waiting for? Head to MapMyRide.com and get started planning your bike to work route; don't forget to bring a buddy, so invite your friends to do the same! Happy and Safe Riding, The MapMyFitness Team

Bicycle to Work
Find more Commutes in Henderson, Kentucky

Henderson Recycling Day!

2008-04-26T14:26:00.006-05:00

Today Henderson KY Hosted a Electronics Recycling Day. I was so proud to take a car load of electronic gadgetry from my house, office, parents house and Church. I looked that the stuff I took in and remember purchasing much of it. Oh what pleasure these things have given us. It seems so wasteful to throw this stuff away. But then we are faced with functional obsolescence.

Well at least today we were trying to be "better" to God's Earth that he gave to us to use by properly disposing of our Electronics Waste.

Thanks Pauline A for being such a role model and showing us how to properly Recycle!

I want to be GREEN!

Woodburning Stove considered a "Green" Ideal

2008-04-22T15:44:00.004-05:00

We have many insurance clients that have woodburing stoves installed. This to many insurance companies represents a risk for fire. Many insurance companies actually debit the premium for homeowners insurance if one has a woodburning stove.

Personally I wouldn't have one. But my homeowners rates are not that bad since I live in the city.

If one has a woodburner does that offset the increase cost of insurance and probility of claim/fire?

What about all the extra smoke and pollution that a woodburner gives off to our enviroment?

I think you are probably better off to use less energy by insulating your home verses that of purchasing a woodburner for your property to save on utlitiy bill!

Plasma TV troubles

2008-04-20T14:07:00.003-05:00

The colors on the Panasonic Plasma have gone nuts! Yellows are blues, blues are red etc on all signals from My Insight DVR Box. Only the OTA HD antenna is returning correct color. (Color is also OK on DVD's) Even programming that 'son an HD station is not correct if it's not filmed in HD. Example the weather channels on WEHT and WFIE.

I have replaced the Insight cable box. Replaced the cables done everything! But still consistently the same problem.

The dilemma now is should I buy a new TV and get this one fixed the put in basement or just live with it a few months! Well have decided to live with it a while.

First Blog Post

2008-04-20T13:56:00.003-05:00

Oh I got so much to talk about on here! Lets get to it!