Celebrate

It’s the Fourth of July everybody……Celebrate

Celebrate with a veteran…

B T Urruela, US Army, Purple Heart

http://www.facebook.com/BTUrruela/info?tab=page_info           http://www.bturruela.com/

Earl Granville, National Guard

http://www.facebook.com/GranvilleEarl        https://instagram.com/earlgranville/

Gideon Connelly, US Air Force

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gideon-Connelly/1602430103358196

OK……………..

Bryan Anderson, Army, Purple Heart

http://www.facebook.com/AndersonActive/timeline     http://www.andersonactive.com/http://       http://www.youtube.com/andersonactive

Redmond Ramos, Navy Corpsman

https://www.facebook.com/DocPegLegRed/timeline

Brad Ivanchan, Chris Van Etten, Alex Minsky with the check donated by Michael Stokes Photography.  Michael is coming out with a new book soon.  Check his page for information.   https://www.facebook.com/MichaelStokesPhotography

Thank you all for your service and your sacrifice.

Enjoy the Fourth….like this page…make a comment…friend me on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/katie.morningstar.71

watch my You Tube video

can you stand a picture of the two cutest little patriots EVER.

Valentine’s Day

OK…so I know it’s a day after Valentine’s Day.  But why do we have only one day a year dedicated to love.  Should be every day…

So with that in mind, here’s a nice little love song by one of my favorite bands Moscow Express with Mike Michels singing Tango Till We Die.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdl8-x-n13Q

www.facebook.com/mike.michels.7?fref=hovercard

www.facebook.com/pages/Moscow-Express/119531404792754

And…I don’t know…it’s just been about cowboys the last week.  So enjoy…

Yummy Zack Dudley

Delicious Jared Thompson

Scrumptious Don Allen

Zack Hardt (playing Cupid)

Hope your Valentine’s Day was a Happy one.

Now…leave a comment, like the page, friend me on Facebook.

www.facebook.com/katie.morningstar.71

Go to YouTube and watch my video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYydaSImuAw

You’ll love it…

Men in Kilts

The kilt originated as the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century.   The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear.  It is most often made of woolen cloth in a tartan pattern.

Earliest know depiction of kilts –  about 1630.

Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general.  Although the kilt is most often worn on formal occasions and at Highland games and sports events, it has also been adapted as an item of fashionable informal male clothing in recent years, returning to its roots as an everyday garment.

Some very sexy, classy men wear kilts…

Sean Connery

Richard Branson (Hard to see…but it says ‘Stiff Competition’ on his boxers)

Romance novels about Highlanders are notorious for men in kilts…

Some more men in kilts…

Not a kilt…

More men in kilts…

Noah Galloway

Sergeant Noah Galloway was assigned to the 1st of the 502nd Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Just three months in to his second tour of duty, Noah lost his left arm above the elbow and left leg above the knee in an Improvised Explosive Device attack.

After a long recovery, Noah did what many disabled veterans do.  He became withdrawn, out of shape and depressed.  Then late one night, Noah took a long look in the mirror, realized there was more to him than the injuries, and set a goal to get back in shape, be healthier and inspire others.

Now a personal trainer, Noah continues to compete, participating in adventure races plus numerous 5K and 10K races.

Most recently, Noah is on the November cover of Men’s Health Magazine, having been named the publication’s 2014 Ultimate Guy. He’s also been a guest on numerous national talk shows including Ellen and The Today Show.

Noah…Thanks for your Sacrifice.  Thanks for your Service.

And then there’s this guy.  I don’t think that’s a kilt either…

If you like men in kilts….well…like this page.  Then leave a comment and friend me on Facebook.   www.facebook.com/katie.morningstar.71

American Heros

Being as it’s almost the Fourth of July, let’s be patriotic and honor our men in uniform.  I can’t help it if these particular men also happen to be very hunkalicious and absolutely drool worthy.

Colin Wayne – model, Army veteran

Colin Wayne

Andrew Mclaren – model, actor, Marine veteran

Garrett Bracken – model, athlete, Navy corpsman veteran

Brad Ivanchan – model, Marine veteran

Alex Minsky – model, Marine veteran

Kyle Clarke – model, actor, athlete, Army veteran

Kyle Clarke

Chris Van Etten – model, Marine veteran

J R Martinez – actor, author, motivational speaker, Army veteran

Noah Galloway – model, extreme athlete, Army veteran

Evan Morgan – musician, Marine veteran

Evan Morgan

Every one of the men pictured here are veterans, some of them wounded in action.  They have all persevered and overcome.

Thanks for your Service.  Thanks for your Sacrifice.

 

 

More American Heros

More American Heroes

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Schaus       Josh Sweeney       Rico Roman

Recognize these guys? No? Really? OK, I didn’t either…until Saturday. That’s when I read a newspaper article about Josh Sweeney. It was so interesting I Googled him (since when is a made up word like Googled actually a verb?). Anyway, it seems that he is a member of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey team. AND…wait for it…OK…ready?…he made the winning, in fact the only, goal for Team Semper Fi to win a gold medal at the Sochi Olympics.

Everyone on the Paralympic Sled Hockey team is either an amputee or has a medical condition rendering one or both legs immobile. Hence the name Paralympic. These three guys, however, are also ‘Wounded Warriors’. Paul, Josh, and Rico are all military veterans wounded in action overseas.

 

Josh Sweeney

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josh Sweeney, 27, from Glendale (Phoenix) Arizona, joined the Marines in 2005 right out of high school. In October 2009, while serving in Nowzad, Afghanistan he stepped on an IED (improvised explosive device) losing both his legs. Josh spent months in rehab at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He had been a hockey player in high school and after being discharged he tried a few adaptive sports, but he had never heard of sled hockey. Then he went to a sled hockey game with his family and inspiration struck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He began playing and in 2011 he made the USA Hockey national team. In 2012 they won the International Paralympic Committee Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships A in Hamar, Norway. Then the team took silver in the 2013 world championships. In December 2013, he was nominated to the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team by USA Hockey,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rico Roman

 

 

 

 

Rico Roman, 33, is from Portland Oregon. He graduated high school in 2000 and joined the Army. In 2007, he lost his left leg to an IED during his third tour in Iraq. He was introduced to sled hockey by Operation Comfort, an organization dedicated to assisting injured U.S. service personnel while at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From 2009-11, Rico was a member of the San Antonio Rampage Sled Hockey club, which is made up entirely of military veterans. He also played with the Dallas Stars sled team in 2012, helping the team to the 2012 USA Hockey Sled Classic Division A Championship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rico also participates in handcycling, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair football. Within a year of his amputation, Roman completed two bike marathons and rode 150 miles in a day to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. He currently lives in Wincrest, Texas with wife and two children.

 

Paul Schaus

 

 

 

 

 

Twenty five year old Marine Paul Schaus from Buffalo, NY, lost both his legs to a landmine in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on June 5, 2009 while on his second deployment. He was first airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany. He was eventually transferred state-side and spent a month at Bethesda Naval Medical Center before finally being moved to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Paul began playing Sled Hockey on the USA Warrior Hockey Team while still in rehab. He played two seasons (2010-2011) with the USA Warriors. Paul also played with the Buffalo Sabres Sled Hockey Team, and helped them win two straight USA Hockey Sled Classic Championship titles in 2011 and 2012. After a year on the U.S. National Development Sled Hockey Team from 2011-12, Paul made the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team for the 2012-13 season.

 

 

 

 

 

Paul has just started his second season on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team

 

All three of these Warriors have received the Purple Heart for their service.

 

 

 

 

Paul Schaus     Rico Roman    Josh Sweeney

 

More Wounded Warriors

J. R. Martinez – Actor, Motivational speaker, Army veteran, burned over 34% of his body while serving in Iraq.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Van Etten – Model, Marine veteran, wounded in Afghanistan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex Minsky – Model, Marine veteran, wounded in Afghanistan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brad Ivanchan – Model, Marine veteran, wounded in Afghanistan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colin Wayne – Model, Army veteran, wounded in Afghanistan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your service. Thanks for your sacrifice.

 

Now, leave a comment.  Surely you have one.  Like this post.  Follow my blog.  Friend me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/katie.morningstar.71

 

Michael Stokes

Michael Stokes

 

I follow a number of Facebook pages, but my very favorite one is Michael Stokes Photography. I use a lot of his pictures in my posts.

 

.

 

Michael Stokes is a Los Angeles based Photographer, originally from Berkley, California.  Michael moved to LA in 1983 where he studied and swam on the Santa Monica College Swim team.  Michael graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a BA in Fine Arts with an emphasis on film and photography. However, he left his artistic talents behind and began a career in real estate. In 2005 he left his very successful real estate career to focus on his interest in photography.  Since his re-introduction to the art of photography Michael has been published in many magazines, clothing campaigns and a number of photographic anthologies.  Despite the amount of time spent on photography Michael manages to compete as a United States Masters Swimmer. He swims 3,500 – 7,000 meters a day, 6 days a week. In 2008. Michael was ranked in the top 10 in the nation for the 1500 meter race.

Michael manages to capture the best of the male form in his work. He obviously likes sports…

 

 

Running…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Football…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boxing…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soccer…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motorcycle riding…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baseball…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swimming…

 

This is Michael’s book: Masculinity, featuring some of the hottest guys seen for a long time. It is available on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Masculinity-Michael-Stokes/dp/386787428X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347800523&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+stokes

Michael is on tumblr, twitter, Facebook, Model Mayhem, and has a website.

www.michaelstokes.tumblr.com

https://twitter.com/Stokes

http://www.modelmayhem.com/michaelStokes

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelStokesPhotography

www.MichaelStokesPhoto.com

And he doesn’t just do pictures of naked guys. No, no. He does suit porn too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He has licensed some of his pictures for book covers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book cover with photo of Alex Minsky.

 

 

 

And he’s a patriotic kind of guy…

Jase Dean

 

 

 

If you love stunning photographs and gorgeous men, check out Michael Stokes.   And then leave a comment.  You must have something to say.

 

Social Media

My Idea of Social Media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Reality

I find myself in need of several social media platforms.  I don’t like the idea.  I don’t like social media.  But if I am going to publish a book, I’m told I need social media.  Well, not to get it published.  To get it sold to hundreds of thousands of millions of people who are eagerly awaiting its release.

So, being technologically disadvantaged, I decided to take a four week social media class at the community college.  It’s not really a college class.  It’s a community interest class.  And it’s not really four weeks either.  It’s four Thursday evenings.  For an hour and a half.  But WTH, six hours of my time to learn about five social media platforms.  I figure if I can learn all that, it’s worth it.

I am supposed to be able to learn Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest, and Tumbler.  I actually have accounts on all those sites.  I just don’t know how to use any of them except Facebook.  I can log into Tumbler, but can’t go anywhere after that.  I love looking at all the pictures on Pinterest, but can’t figure out how to set up a board so I can post my own pictures.  A friend’s nine year old tells me she posts regularly to her Pinterest boards.  Really?

I told the kid across the street that I was taking this class and what I hoped to learn.  She said, “I could show you how to use all those sites.”

I said, “So I should have given you the $30.00 and been taught all this in the comfort of my own den?”

She said, “I would have done it for $25.00.”

She’s thirteen.  Sheesh.

So, I’ve gotten one class behind me and the next one is tonight.  Up until last week I could pretty much only read what my friends sent me on Facebook and make a comment.  Now I know how to post to my own timeline and how to share.  I thought I had learned to share in kindergarten, but that was my toys and maybe half my graham cracker.  Now I can share what someone sends me with all 23 of my friends.  I had 24 friends, but one person recently unfriended me.  She got mad at a relative and unfriended everyone he was related to.  I need to figure out how to get more friends.  www.facebook.com/katie.morningstar.71  Go there and friend me.  Please. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not really.  But I follow so many other Facebook pages that it usually takes me forty five minutes to an hour, twice a day, to go through all the new posts to my Facebook page.  I’ll share some of my favorites with you so you too can follow them and spend half your day liking all the posts.

 

My very favorite is Michael Stokes Photography  www.facebook.com/MichaelStokesPhotography He also has a web site, and posts on Tumbler and Twitter – where he can post the more risqué photos not allowed on Facebook.  Check him out.  He takes stunning photos like this one…

 

 

 

 

 

Adam Von Rothfelder

 

 

And this one…Don’t know who this is but go here to see the full shot… https://twitter.com/Stokes_Photo/status/434014177909149697

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there is his new book    http://www.amazon.com/Masculinity-Michael-Stokes/dp/386787428X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392488055&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+stokes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And who doesn’t love a man in uniform…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of my other favorite sites are the Fifty Shades of Sexy sites.  Just type in Fifty Shades of Sexy and the whole list will come up. There’s FSOS Hot, Hunky, Heroes, FSOS Certified County Boys, FSOS Bad Boys, FSOS Hot & Sexy, FSOS Hot Cowboys, Alpha Males, Cougar Bait.  Yeah you get it.  Where did you think I found all the hunkalicious pictures I post here.

 

And then there’s Eye Candy’s Sexy Confections www.facebook.com/eyecandyofficialpage With the Uber Sexy (yeah I learned a new word too) Colin Wayne as their cover photo…

 

 

That’s enough for today. OK People.

 

My stats are way down from 10 days ago when they skyrocketed.  What’s up with that?  So if you liked this post…well click the like button.  Better yet follow my blog.  And don’t forget to friend me on Facebook.  www.facebook.com/katie.morningstar.71

Quandary and Double Dog Dare

I have been in a quandary the last couple of days, trying to think of a topic for my blog today.   Quandary – a state of perplexity or uncertainty, esp. as to what to do.  Sort of a way of life for me actually.

I started my blog on October 31, 2013.  I try to blog twice a week.  Most weeks I make that happen.  So now I have 27 behind me.  And I can’t think of anything to blog about?

I promised myself I wouldn’t blog political stuff or religious stuff.  So that cuts down on a lot of options.  I read a statistic once that listed the top three things we – collectively we, i.e. you, me, and everyone else that can trace six degrees to Kevin Bacon – spend our money on. Oh…there I am, finishing a sentence with a preposition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, back to what upon which we spend our money.  It’s sex, food and pets.  I’ll post funny pictures of animals occasionally, but I’m not really a pet person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yes, I did post a recipe once and a couple of you said you were going to try it.  But really, I hate to cook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that leaves sex…or Facebook…

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.  Strike that.  There is nothing I love about Facebook, basically it’s just a hate relationship. No.  It’s not even a relationship.  I just hate Facebook.  It probably doesn’t hate me, but it should…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I resisted getting Facebook until I needed a public forum.  This is why.

 

 

 

 

Not that I actually phoned all my friends to say good night.  It never occurred to me that I should let everyone know when I was going to bed.  I don’t think they really care.  On the other hand, I only have 23 friends on Facebook – how long could it take to call each one and say good night.  Then again, I don’t really know a couple of those Friends.  And several of them are children who probably don’t stay up near as late as I do.  And some may not be home, so I’d have to leave a message…aye…  Maybe Facebook is the way to tell everyone when I’m going to bed, what I’m having for breakfast/lunch/dinner, all the errands I went on today, etc.etc.etc… No.  Not really…

So that just leaves sex.  Which is mostly what this blog is about anyway.  Well sex and romance.  So I will leave you all with these two incredibly sexy guys – Andrew Mclaren and Stuart Reardon

Don’t have anything to say?  Nothing to comment?  Not an opinion on anything?  Don’t you dare write something in that comment space.  OK.  I double dog dare you to…

Alex Minsky and Brad Ivanchan – Thanks for your Service

 

 

 

OK.  Did you all see Alex Minsky on The View a couple of days ago.  You can see it at my Facebook page www.facebook.com/katie.morningstar.71   I checked YouTube, but I couldn’t find it.  There are several other YouTube videos of Alex though, including interviews with Jay Leno and the Today Show.  Go check them out, along with his Facebook page.  www.facebook.com/AlexMinskyFanPage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex is also on the cover of a new book – Fighting to Forget by JB Salsbury – to be released April 15, 2014.  www.facebook.com/JBSalsburybooks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s another American Hero for you.  Brad Ivanchan.

 

 

 

U.S. Marine Cpl. Brad Ivanchan was born in 1988 and grew up with a sister and brother in the Phoenix/Glendale, Arizona area.  He joined the Marines in 2008 and was deployed to both Iraq and the South Pacific as a machine gunner before deploying to Afghanistan.  While in Afghanistan, Brad stepped on a pressure plate, setting off an improvised explosive device that severed his right leg below the knee, his left leg above the knee, and damaged his left hand.  Afterwards he underwent 11 surgeries at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

 

 

 

Brad in Iraq

Less than 3 months after his injury he was approached by Tim Medvets.  Tim is an ex-biker and avid climber who runs a non-profit called The Heroes Project (www.theheroesproject.org).  The Heroes Project takes severely wounded Vets and gives them a second chance at life through climbing some of the tallest peaks in the world.  Brad signed on immediately and started training in the mountains surrounding L.A and San Diego. Within 9 months of losing his legs he became the first double amputee in the world to climb Mt.Aconcagua, South America’s tallest peak at 22,840 ft. in elevation.  He says he went from the lowest point in his life to the highest point in his life in less than 9 months.  And he feels he is living proof that no matter what life throws your way that you can forge on and overcome those obstacles.  There are truly no bounds to what the human spirit can achieve!

On Mt.Aconcagua – Brad hiked up 22,840 feet

 

 

 

 

 

Brad is on Facebook and has a website.

www.Facebook.com/bradivanchan

www.bradivanchan.com/

And guess what else he’s doing?  No really.  OK, you guessed right.  He’s modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex and Brad – Thanks for your Service – Thanks for your Sacrifice.  Semper Fi.

Click on Like.  Leave a Comment.  Do something people!!!

Service, Sacrifice, and Beyond…

Alex Minsky 

This is Alex Minsky.  A before picture.  One of the few, the proud, the brave.  A Marine.  Then in Afghanistan in 2009 a road side bomb almost killed him.  He was in a coma for over a month, and spent another year and a half in the hospital recuperating.  He had burns over much of his body and lost his right leg.  After discharge he turned to the bottle.  But sick and tired of being sick and tired, he found his way into a gym…and a new life.

 

After a lot of workouts and a lot of ink, he was approached by someone asking if he had ever modeled.  Alex thought it was a gay guy hitting on him.  No really…that’s what he said in the interview ( www.queerty.com/10-things-to-know-about-model-alex-minsky-20130403 ).  But photographer Tom Cullis thought Alex had “a movie star face with wild ink and sweat”, and convinced Alex to model for him.

 This is Alex Minsky now…a fitness and underwear model.

 

 

I think it is so cute that he has a tattoo on the sock that covers his prosthetic foot.  But what’s with that tattoo on his lower belly that says DON”T LAUGH.  Of course I haven’t actually seen what’s below that tattoo, but…

 

 

 

 

 

 

somehow, I’m thinking it isn’t anything to laugh at.

 

 

 

 Alex loves avocados, plays the guitar, and works out 4 hours a day to keep that body.  He also created quite a controversy when photographer Michael Stokes posted this picture on Facebook…

Stokes was notified that it contained nudity or obscenity.  Facebook removed it, and banned him for 3 days.  In a statement of support over 4,000 Facebook fans reposted the picture.  Glad to say that Michael Stokes ( www.facebook.com/MichaelStokesPhotography ) and Alex Minsky are both back on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

Alex is on Facebook, instagram, twitter, and can be seen at Model Mayhem.  And guess what?  He even looks good with his clothes on.  

 

 

 

Who woulda thought…?

 

 

 

 

Christopher Van Etten and his bomb dog Harley, who is now his service dog. 

 

 

Christopher Van Etten is a double amputee, injured in Afghanistan when two IED’s exploded in June 2012.  Like Alex Minsky he has come back full stride.  In October he hand cycled the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC and now he’s into…

 

 

you guessed it…modeling underwear.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chris is on Facebook, instagram, and twitter.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 His mom says, “It’s a little weird to see my son pretty much naked all over Facebook, but I’m pretty proud of him.” ( www.bnd.com2013/11/09.2894542/we-cant-thank-this-community-enough )

 He also has a great sense of humor…  

 

This was posted recently on his Facebook page.

 

 

 

 Alex and Christopher……thanks for your service, thanks for your sacrifice, thanks for your inspiration.  Semper Fi.