Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army

I worked today and Kendall spent the day with Rebecca. They had lots of fun going to McDonald's and seeing Frozen in 3D. In Frozen, a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, so Anna must team up with Kristoff, a daring mountain man, on the grandest of journeys to find the Snow Queen and put an end to the icy spell. Encountering Everest-like extremes, mystical creatures and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.

This evening we rang bells for the Salvation Army at the Thorndale KMart. We had a lot of fun even though it was a bit chilly :-) This was our first time so here is some history. In1891, Captain Joseph McFee resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner to the poor of San Francisco. From his days as a sailor in Liverpool,  England, the captain remembered a large pot displayed on the Stage Landing, called “Simpson’s Pot.” Passersby tossed charitable donations into the pot. The captain received permission from city authorities to place a crab pot and tripod at the Oakland ferry landing at the foot of San Francisco’s Market Place. The kettle--and McFee’s request to “Keep  the Pot Boiling!”--drew a lot of attention from ferry passengers. So began a tradition that spread throughout the United States, then the world. Kettles now are used around the world, including Japan, Chile and Europe. Public contributions to the kettles enable The Salvation Army to bring the spirit of Christmas to the aged and lonely, ill, poor and disadvantaged, inmates of jails and other institutions--people otherwise often forgotten. 

Kendall's reward was a $5 movie from Kmart - Dinotopia/Journey to the Center of the a Earth. We are watching Dinotopia now. A pair of teenage half brothers, Karl and David Scott, are on a flight with their father on his private plane when Karl takes over the controls, allowing his father to fall asleep. After flying into a storm, Frank retakes control before it crashes into the ocean. Frank had trouble escaping the crashed plane, but the brothers wash up on the shore of a large uncharted island. Looking for help, Karl and David find a man named Cyrus Crabb who leads them to Waterfall City, the capital of Dinotopia, a hidden civilization where human beings and dinosaurs peacefully coexist. In fact, some of the dinosaurs, notably a neurotic Troodon named Zippo, possess human intelligence and speak perfect English. Among the many rules in Dinotopia is the edict that, once an outsider arrived, he or she was never allowed to leave. As Karl and David prepare to take their places in their new surroundings, both boys develop a strong bond with young Marion, who is on the verge of becoming a "matriarch" of the Dinotopian society. Unfortunately, the incursion of vicious carnivores, not to mention an unanticipated human villain, threaten to destroy Dinotopia and everyone living on the island.

Buenas noches!