Autism Awareness Day

I got summoned for jury duty today. The San Diego County Courthouse is downtown, so I took a bus down there. I sat around all day in the juror lounge, but never got called into a courtroom. Almost 90% of the people did get called into a courtroom, so I got lucky. I really didn't want to get in a trial and be stuck there for a week, so this worked out fine. My jury service has ended and I won't get called for another year. This is the fourth time I've been summoned for jury duty since moving to San Diego in December 1999. We get called for jury duty a lot here, mainly because San Diego County is the third largest court system in the country, after L.A. and Chicago. I wanted to bring your attention to today being Autism Awareness Day. My life is touched by autism because my sister's oldest son, my nephew, is autistic. He's turning seven this month and he's still mostly non-verbal. My sister and her husband spend a lot of time and money to provide him therapy and treatments in the hopes that he will start talking. Autism treatments are not covered by most insurance, and the cost can really overwhelm a family. This month's Songbird Avenue kit is called Bloom & Grow. It's an awesome collaboration between Ali Edwards, the Queen of Quirk, Meredith Fenwick, and Amy Wolff. All proceeds after Paypal fees will benefit Autism Speaks. It is a great deal for $8, as you will get five Ali Edwards templates and her word art, plus lots of beautiful papers and elements, and a full alpha. Here's a layout I made with the kit: