Dolce Debbie

Dolce Debbie 

Twitter is a powerful tool. I have made amazing connections through business as well as personal because of social networking. Never did I dream I would make wonderful friends in real life as well. A couple of years ago, I started following an interesting lady through my friend Sandra McKenna (@mcmedia) that interesting lady is Executive Chef, Debbie Frangipane, a.k.a Dolce Debbie. Debbie's passion for food inspires you to run to your local market and whip up a masterpiece over a hot pan with the finest ingredients.

Debbie and her husband Barry host luxurious getaways to Italy through Savory Adventures, taking you to the most exquisite destinations. In fact, Barry just published an interesting book titled The Venice Experiment.   To learn more, view this interview! 


Besides being the hottest thing that's cooking in the kitchen, Debbie has many other interests  that include competing in local running events, such as the 2007 and 2008 Disney Marathons. She also competes in the kitchen in local food events, testing her most delectable cuisines against other foodies in the area. 


Debbie has made television appearances on Fox 13 Tampa Bay, WTSP-CBS, and the nationally syndicated Daytime TV show. Debbie's articles have been published in the Tampa Tribune, and she is a featured publisher for Foodbuzz.com. She also has been listed as  one of the top 25 chefs to follow on twitters trendy affiliate WeFollow.  Did I mention that she is a classically trained pianist? 


Debbie is amazing and one to be admired.  One of the best things I love about Debbie, is that she is truly genuine and is one of the nicest people I have ever met. To learn more about Debbie, visit her website at Savory Adventures and follow her on Twitter! 


Salute to you Debbie. You are truly fabulous. 




Donna 

Martha Washington

Martha Washington 

1st Lady of the United States

There are many images of Martha Washington in her later years, we often forget that she was a gorgeous gem when she married George. When George met Martha she was a widow from her prior husband Daniel Parke Custis, a wealthy planter, who was twenty years older when she was just only eighteen. Daniel and Martha had four children, sadly two died very young. Martha's husband Daniel left her to be a widow in 1757. Martha was left with the estate (a very big one). During two years later she was being courted by not only George, but also by a wealthy planter Charles Carter.

George won her heart and they married January 6, 1759. They were 27 in age. Documents report that they were very much in love. Sadly, Martha lost her teenage daughter who died during an epileptic seizure leaving George and Martha was left with one son who was named John, who died during military service in 1781 probably of typhus. George and Martha raised his two children, Eleanor and George. 

Nancy Loane, author of Following the Drum: Women at the Valley Forge Encampment, wrote that Martha was a spiffy dresser, assertive, and definitely a woman of independent means and she was a woman who followed her man. Followed she did. Martha joined her husband George who was leading the fight for freedom in the Revolutionary War. She traveled thousands of miles to be with him, supporting his cause. 

Martha died when she was 70 in 1802. She has been honored in many ways. One honor was that her image was the first image of a woman on the US postage stamp. 

Wanda Austin

Wanda Austin

Petite and poised, Wanda Austin may seem unassuming on the outside, but on the inside she is a tenacious lioness who is willing to stand in the gap and be an advocate for those who are disabled not only physically, but emotionally as well. Wanda lost her vision over 20 years ago due to a disease called retinitis pigmentosa which is a disease where the retina deteriorates over a gradual period of time. 

Many years ago, during an election, she became disgusted that she lost her right to vote privately, as she had to rely on someone else to cast her particular choice. When she got home she thought that someone had to do something about this and that someone was her. She worked with the Supervisor of Elections to come up with a new system so everyone can have a private right to vote. 

Last year in the 2010 elections, her hard work came to pass. She got to cast her first private vote in years on the new system called Automark. Voters are able to listen to the ballot and can select their choice by simple levers. She also helped create an instructional video to teach poll workers how to handle those with disabilities. This video is now shown across the Pinellas County and discusses wheelchairs, seeing-eye dogs, canes, and other aids. 

Wanda decided a long time ago to not let life pass her by. She pursued a Masters Degree and opened her own practice to be an advocate for those emotionally disabled. She graduated with high honors and then served as President of Tampa Chapter, Chi Sigma Iota. 

She has had a few more bumps in the road; beating cancer and going through a divorce after a 39 year marriage, but she attributes her faith - giving her the perseverance to keep going. Wanda encourages those who are hurting and facing their darkest hours, by giving them hope and life skills to manage their difficult situations, both in her private therapy sessions and speaking publicly. She has won numerous awards and hopes to become a published author sometime in the future. 

Wanda Austin is an inspiration for everyone who thinks that their life is over. She is a shining example of the definition of perseverance and I proudly call her Mother.   

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks

"People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in." 

Amazingly brave and sticking to her convictions, Ms. Parks changed America. In her quiet defiance, her actions spoke with such fierceness. This powerful woman with such grace and class, defied the ignorant, and taught America that equality was for all.