“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
~~ Benjamin Franklin
Hi all!
 
 Well, I've managed to put off yet another newsletter til the day it's due.  I'd feel badly about that but I've not exactly been lazy.  Just writing a story... that will, hopefully, eventually see the light of day.  ;-)  Anyhow, so here's this... whatever it ends up being!

God bless,
Jenni

PS- No easter egg for the aforementioned reason.

 
First, we have a new member who would like to introduce herself!  If you'd like to have an introduction posted here in a JABB newsletter, please let me know.  And if you've been here for a while and would like to post an updated one, that's cool!  Please do keep in mind with these that the newsletters do end up linked to the JABB main site.  Therefore, don't include anything you feel uncomfortable about having put online.  Thanks much!

And now to Pineapple Angel:

Hi! My name is Pineapple Angel (obviously that's not my REAL Name, it's my internet alias!) Before I go into a whole description, I'd like to make it clear on one thing....It's clear that many of the "Androolers" and JABB members are well into adulthood, (no offense to anyone!!!) and I'd just like to state that I am indeed MUCH younger than anyone else on this site, probably!! I am actually a young teenaged girl, and when I say Teen...I mean like High school teen!! So, now that that's settled, I've been a fan of TBAA and John Dye for about a year now, and I am finally a member!! SO, I love writing fanfics, (My account is PineappleAngel14, if you're interested). I write TBAA, Psych, The Big Valley, The Fall Guy, and other shows. I've only had my account for a short while, so I've yet to post any of my TBAA stories, but you're welcome to check my account out anyway!! Outside of writing, I love to sing, play a few instruments, and watch oldies tv and movies!! (that's really all I watch!!) I am a Christian and a Conservative Republican. My favorite colors are Teal and Purple, and one weird thing about me is that I have "zoophobia" (the fear of animals!!) I know it sounds silly, but because of several unfriendly encounters, and a few bad allergies, I'm scared of most animals!! Well...that's about it!! Thanks for letting me be a member of JABB!

Thanks, Pineapple Angel, and welcome!

So because of this story writing issue and assorted other obligations (I'm looking at you, housework), something happened last weekend... I didn't get to watch my weekly TBAA episode!  Now, this is rather a big deal for someone who has seen her TBAA time cut down from marathons several times a week to an episode a night for 4-5 nights a week and now to just one a week.  So I can't help but feel that it threw me off just a little.  So I present...
Top Ten Signs You Have TBAA Deficiency Syndrome

10.  You keep telling yourself that soon you'll have time to sit back and enjoy watching TBAA.  But then you just start crying because the word "time" made you think of Andrew and his pocket watch... which you don't have time to see.

9.  You find yourself forlornly perusing through the photo galleries of episodes you wish you had time to watch...  Andrew looks so cuddly in "A Rock and a Hard Place"... You want to hug him in TDDUP...

8.  You engage in a too long, too awkward talk with Andrew the FedEx delivery man because then you can at least tell yourself that you spent time with Andrew... too bad it was the wrong one.

7.  You have managed to turn "Walk With You" into a torch song.

6.  You have switched over to drinking tea because coffee is just too painful in your Monica-less world.  But then you remember that Andrew seems to like tea.  So then you reach for a can of ginger ale and WAAAAH!

5.  You stare spitefully at your laundry and paperwork and dirty dishes which are keeping you from TBAA.  You name the laundry Kathleen, the paperwork Monique, and the dishes Gregory because you are convinced they are evil.

4.  You start to dream that you are in a TBAA episode!  This is a wonderful thing until your alarm clock goes off just as Andrew is starting to drag his hand through that lovely hair of his and now you can't help him deal with his distress!!!

3.  You've started sleeping with your TBAA DVD sets.  All of them.  Okay, I'm gonna have to draw the line with this one.  If you're doing this: we need to talk.  I just don't even think that seems safe... or comfortable!

2.  You've wondered if breaking an episode into tiny segments and watching while you brush your teeth makes sense... but then you realize that would mean taking nearly a month to watch a single episode.

1.  You've made up a disease called TBAA Deficiency Syndrome and proceeded to write a top ten about it OR you read said top ten and found yourself nodding a lot...

So... don't let that happen to you!  One way that I've found to ensure I have some TBAA time is to tie watching it to an activity that I feel is important or at least beneficial to someone else.  That way, I can tell myself that by not watching I'm cheating someone else and not just me.  It's a good incentive to watch.  So below I've listed out the months of a typical school year.  For each month, I've suggested a TBAA episode that we might really, really wanna watch and then tied it to a related random act of kindness.  So watch that TBAA episode guilt-free and give a lil back at the same time!

How to Make This School Year Andrewiffic
August- Watch "A House Divided" while putting together fun school supply packs for a local school.  Even if school has already started where you are, these will still come in handy cause we all know pens break, pencils get lost, glue gets used up, etc.  Either keep them somewhere to dole out yourself to students in your life or ask a local school if they'd like to store em until needed... and they may even need them right away.

September- Don't forget about the older students!  While watching "Bringer of Light," maybe make starry care packages for a high schooler in your life.  Kids are never too old for warm fuzzies brought on by receiving a gold star... especially if that gold star is an iced sugar cookie shaped like a star!

October- Enjoy "The Sky is Falling" while making up little bags or such for your trick-or-treaters.  Maybe instead of going for all candy, include pencils, those little crayon boxes, erasers, stickers, or the like.

November- Happy Thanksgiving!  Settle in with "The Homecoming" while looking into options for helping families in need during the holiday season.  Some schools put together food packs for their poverty stricken students and hand them out prior to break. 

December- Watch all the Christmas episodes!  Trust me, you can think of plenty of ways to give back at this festive season.  As I said above, some schools do collect food for their students who will be on vacation and, thus, cut off from government-funded breakfasts and lunches.  You could also look into making small thank you gifts for local teachers (check with schools to see what's allowed as sometimes there are policies).  This might also be a good time to check with any teachers you know to see if school supplies have run low among their kids.  Some schools also post holiday wish lists for larger classroom needs.  Maybe you can get some friends to pitch in on something.

January- Watch "Millennium" and plot out ways you might like to support education in your area as part of your New Year's resolutions.

February- Enjoy "And a Nightengale Sang" while making up valentines for your children, nieces, nephews, cousins, siblings, parents, etc. who are teachers and/or students.  Let em know how much you love them and how proud of them you are.

March- While viewing "Life Before Death," investigate student leadership programs in your school district.  Maybe you could volunteer or help fund a scholarship.

April- "Fighting the Good Fight" can inspire several good deeds... and some lovely glimpses of a white shirted Andrew.  ;-)  Check and see what sort of anti-bullying laws are in place in your area and if you see a need for improvement, write to your representatives.  You could also research what after school programs are around and what they do to help keep kids out of trouble.  Look into how you might be able to lend a hand.

May- It's almost summer!  Watch the "The Pact" and start planning out care packages for kids you know who are headed to camp.  Also look into opportunities to sponsor a student in need who wants to take part in a camp or other summer program.

An important thing to remember regardless of the time of year: Every little bit helps!  If you can only put together two school supply packs, do that.  It'll matter to the two kids who receive them!  Sometimes it can be overwhelming to consider how much need there is versus how much we can afford time and money-wise to do.  But don't let that paralyze you into inaction!  As Andrew said: "We all serve God in our own ways.  What matters is that we serve Him."  So do that and have fun!  :-)

This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye for pretty much keeping me from ever being bored.  Stretched for time... yes.  But never bored.  :-)

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(Photo Credits: The photographs used on this page are from Touched by an Angel and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions. They are not being used to seek profit.)