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May 15, 2015

Today we celebrate:

National Chocolate Chip Day – Chocolate chips are a treat all by themselves but they are even better when baked in other things like cookies and brownies and cakes. I'm making myself hungry.

International Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day – This is the third annual celebration of this day created by the Hyperemesis Education and Research Foundation (HER). This is a disease that affects thousands of pregnant women. Symptoms associated with it include unrelenting nausea, weight loss, vomiting, malnutrition and dehydration. It usually lasts longer than the first trimester and for some it can last for the entire pregnancy.

International Day Of Families – This day is endorsed by the United Nations to celebrate family in all of its many forms.  Families are the basis of our civilization, and it is important to our physical and mental health to have healthy and happy relationships with our families. The theme for this year is “Men in charge?  Gender equality and children’s rights in contemporary families.”

Peace Officers Memorial Day – This is a day to pay tribute to the peace officers who have died in the line of duty.  Peace officers work very hard to keep our country, states, counties and cities safe. It is a dangerous and demanding job and they catch a lot of flack for the work that they do. But regardless, they are always there when we need them, they frequently put themselves in jeopardy in order to protect us, and sometimes they sacrifice their lives to save ours.  We owe them our gratitude and respect.

International MPS Awareness Day – This is a day to honor everyone who has suffered from this disease as well as everyone who works to find a cure. MPS is an acronym for Mucopolysaccharidos disease. Don’t ask me to say that out loud.  This is a genetic lysosomal disease (LD) that causes a body to be unable to produce enzymes which help cells to perform their duties properly. A person with this disease suffers with progressively more severe organ damage the longer they live.

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Global Awareness Day – This is a genetic disorder that causes non-malignant tumors to form in the brain, eyes, heart, lungs, kidney and skin. These tumors can cause many, many challenging health issues for the people with this disorder such as autism, seizures, intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. The severity of these issues varies widely and many people with this disorder are able to lead independent lifestyles and accomplish great things in challenging jobs like scientists, doctors and lawyers.

Nylon Stockings Day – On this day in 1940, Julian Hill's invention appeared in stores for the first time and women were liberated from having to wear cotton, wool or silk stockings. They liked them so much that they bought 780,000 on that very first day. These were what we now consider to be the old fashioned kind that you had to hold up with garters. But you had to do that with the wool, silk or cotton ones as well.

Endangered Species Day – Celebrated on the third Friday in May, this is a day to learn about the endangered species in your state. Find out about their habitats and food sources and see if you can discover why they are endangered.

National Bike To Work Day – Celebrated on the third Friday in May, this is a day to leave the car home and bike to work, although if your job is just too far away, in some areas you can take buses for part of the distance. Good luck finding one that will be able to carry your bike. Riding your bike to work provides many benefits such as being great for the environment, providing exercise and saving money. Win, win, win!

Straw Hat Day – Today is the day for men to put away their felt hats and take out their straw hats for the summer. Summer is here (ok, not officially, but in some places it's hot enough to be summer anyway) and felt hats don't come back until some time in September. That is, if men still wear these types of hats. As you can probably tell, this day has been around for a while. You may also see it celebrated on different days in different parts of the country.

National Defense Transportation Day – The third Friday in May is obviously a very busy day every year because we are also celebrating this United States Federal Observance Day. On this day, we are urged by our President to celebrate with “appropriate ceremonies that will give complete recognition to the importance to each community and its people of the transportation system of the United States and the maintenance of the facilities of the system in the most modern state of adequacy to serve the needs of the United States in times of peace and in national defense.” He's pretty wordy. I would have just told everyone to have a party for the people who work to transport us from one place to another.

National Pizza Party Day – Yet another day to celebrate on the third Friday, my kids are happy, although they think that every Friday should be Pizza Party Day.

To celebrate today, wear nylons and a straw hat while you make some chocolate chip cookies with your family for the peace officers in your town.  Then ride your bike to work but make sure you wave to all the bus drivers you see as well as anyone who is working to fix the roads. When you get home, get your family checked for Hyperemesis, MPS and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.  Finally, have pizza for dinner while you look up the endangered animals in your area.

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