Music Friday: The Light Inside of All of Us Is Like a Diamond, Sings Avril Lavigne in 'Fly'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we have Canadian recording artist Avril Lavigne performing "Fly," a power ballad inspired by the athletes of the Special Olympics.

In this song about having the inner strength to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges, Lavigne metaphorically states that "we were all meant to fly," and compares the discovery of one's special ability to unearthing a precious stone.

In the first verse, she sings, "There's a light inside of all of us / It's never hiding you just have to light it / It's the one thing that you gotta trust / It's like a diamond, you just have to find it."

Lavigne, 31, performed "Fly" live for the first time during the stirring opening ceremonies of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. In the video, below, we see athletes representing Nepal, Nigeria, Mongolia, Iran, Israel, Cuba and the U.S. in the final leg of a 5,000-mile torch relay that culminates with the lighting of the cauldron.

Proceeds from the song benefited the Special Olympics in association with The Avril Lavigne Foundation, a charity providing support to children and youth living with serious illnesses or disabilities.

"This song means a lot to me personally," said Lavigne. "It is inspired by the many young people I've met throughout my work with my Foundation. They pursue their dreams no matter what obstacles they face."

"Special Olympics' mission is to unleash the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports," she added, "so they're a natural fit for this song."

In 2014, Lavigne herself was faced with a daunting physical challenge when she was struck down with Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by ticks.

"I had no idea a bug bite could do this," she told People magazine. "I was bedridden for five months. I felt like I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk and I couldn't move. I thought I was dying."

Lavigne was able to overcome her bout with Lyme disease and seemed to be in top form as she delivered a beautiful performance of her song, "Fly," on July 25 in front of a stadium of onlookers and a national television audience. Video and lyrics are below...

"Fly"
Written by Avril Lavigne, David Hodges and Chad Robert Kroeger. Performed by Avril Lavigne.

There's a light inside of all of us
It's never hiding you just have to light it
It's the one thing that you gotta trust
It's like a diamond, you just have to find it

So if you ever feel like giving up
Yeah, just remember that.. we were all meant to fly

Spread your wings across the universe
It's your time to—it's your time to shine
There's a light inside of all of us
Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly
Your time to fly

A little help is all it ever takes
Somebody else to tell you it's worth fighting
A single step becomes a leap of faith
That's when you realize you started flying

So, don't you ever say you're giving up
No, there's no looking back... 'cause we were all meant to fly

Spread your wings across the universe
It's your time to—it's your time to shine
There's a light inside of all of us
Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly
It's your time to fly

Just reach up, don't give up
Until you've touched the sky
Just reach up, don't give up
Until you've realized...

That we were all meant to fly

Spread your wings across the universe
It's your time to—it's your time to shine
There's a light inside of all of us
Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly, fly

It's your time to—it's your time to shine, shine
Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly

Spread your wings across the universe
It's your time to—it's your time to shine
There's a light inside of all of us
Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.

This $45K Thanksgiving Dinner Package Allows You to Swap Out Carrots for Carats

Imagine plunging your fork into the stuffing of your Thanksgiving dinner and pulling out a 2-carat diamond engagement ring. That scene could play out for up to three couples who take advantage of The Old Homestead Steakhouse's $45,000 dinner package.

The seven-course meal for a party of eight includes a mountain of luxury gifts, including two tickets to grandstand seats at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a $7,500 Black Friday shopping spree at Bergdorf Goodman, a two-night stay at the Waldorf and a dancing lesson at Fred Astaire Dance Studio. A videographer will be on hand to capture the moment of the marriage proposal and, yes, limousine service will be provided to whisk the couple throughout the city.

The principles of the famous 147-year-old New York City restaurant are taking great precautions to make sure the bride-to-be doesn't consume her ring. A waiter will be stationed nearby to make sure the discovery occurs without a hitch.

“We’re going to conceal the ring so that it’s not obvious,” owner Marc Sherry told Forbes.com. “We want her to actually feel something with her fork.”

Sherry noted that the ring would feature a 2-carat emerald-cut diamond, but the engagement bling used in the Forbes.com photoshoot appears to be a pear-shaped diamond.

Nevertheless, Sherry explained that he came up with the clever "hide-the-engagement-ring-in-the-stuffing" concept after watching so many guests proposing at his restaurant over the years.

Sherry accurately noted that Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the proposal season that runs until Valentine’s Day.

"Too many guys wing it on Thanksgiving when it comes to popping the question,” he explained to the New York Daily News. “They could use a little creativity, so we're planning everything from soup to nuts — and the engagement ring, too."

He compared the excitement of finding a ring in a turkey dinner at his restaurant to popping the question at other famous New York venues.

“It’s along the lines of people who propose on the mound at Yankee Stadium or at the top of the Empire State Building, something really different,” he said.

The dinner itself features the following culinary delights...

• Two 20-pound, free-range, organically raised turkeys seasoned with saffron and basted in artisanal, locally produced butter;
• Stuffing infused with one pound of foie gras, two pounds of Wagyu beef and four sourdough loaves;
• Mashed potatoes made with Swedish Moose House Cheese;
• Pappy Van Winkle bourbon-infused gravy;
• Cranberry-orange relish, featuring cranberries that have been soaked in Grand Marnier;
• Sweet potatoes topped with Royal Osetra 000 caviar;
• Butternut squash covered in winter black truffles;
• Pumpkin ice cream served with a $4,200 bottle of private reserve rum-infused eggnog sauce and edible, 24-karat gold flakes;
• Cristal and Dom Perignon champagnes, Opus One and Silver Oak wines (a six-liter bottle) and a 40-year-old Taylor port.

Credits: Screen captures via forbes.com.

Kim Kardashian Reveals What's on Her Push Present Wish List — a $1 Million Diamond Choker

Reasoning that it only makes sense that "we get something amazing to show how amazing we are," Kim Kardashian reveals in a recent blog post that she's finally on board with the idea of "push presents" — the gifts mothers get from their partners after giving birth. And her ideal gift? A $1 million diamond choker.

Even though Kardashian received an impressive collection of gold bracelets as gifts from hubby Kanye West for her first pregnancy, she led off her blog post with this question, "Do you guys believe in a push present? I never did, but all of my friends do!!!"

Now, it seems the reality star has a new point of view.

"We women go through an entire pregnancy carrying a baby..." she noted in a post to her "Obsessed" blog. "Of course it only makes sense that we get something amazing to show how amazing we are! LOL!"

Specifically, Kardashian has her eyes on a stunning piece that she's borrowed in the past from designer Lorraine Schwartz. Kardashian was reportedly due to give birth in December, but could be induced as early as Thanksgiving.

“This pregnancy, I would love a Lorraine Schwartz diamond choker, like the ones I’ve worn before to the Art + Film Gala,” she wrote.

Perhaps sensing that a $1 million gift may be a tad too demanding, she asked her readers, "Too much? LOL!"

Style expert Michael O’Connor told Yahoo Parenting that the type of necklace Kardashian posted to her blog would likely cost between $500,000 to $750,000, but could easily be $1 million depending on a few factors, including the type of precious metal, size and quality of the diamonds, and whether the diamonds go all the way around the piece.

As we noted earlier, this will be the second time she's received a push present — assuming Kanye West is following his wife's blog and does, indeed, honor the arrival of their newborn son with the choker of her dreams.

Back in January of 2013, West gifted his then-pregnant wife with a wrist full of Cartier bracelets. The five gold bracelets were reportedly worth $65,000. Kardashian received her push presents early, as baby North wasn't born until June.

Credits: Instagram/Kim Kardashian

6,600-Year-Old 24-Karat Gold Pendant May Be the World's Oldest Bling

A 6,600-year-old 24-karat gold pendant found at the archaeological site of Solnitsata in Bulgaria could be the world's oldest bling.

The 2-gram pendant reflects the skill of a complex prehistoric society — possibly one of the first to work out how to process and produce gold goods, according to Professor Vassil Nikolov of the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

"What's interesting regarding the gold jewel... is that it wasn't discovered inside one of the graves but between them, which might testify to some kind of a more special ritual," said Nikolov in an interview with Cherno More agency. "In any case, this jewel is another specimen of the art of jewelry making that was developed at the time."

The scientists believe the jewelry was worn as a pendant, most likely hanging from a cord. They are not sure, however, if the jewelry was worn by men, women or both. Either way, they believe the jewelry was a symbol of social status, the Daily Mail reported.

The fortress of Solnitsata is believed to date back to 4,300 BC, but Nikolov believes the gold pendant could be even 200 or 300 years older than that, making it the oldest processed gold ever found in Europe.

Solnitsata, which literally means "salt pit," has been dubbed as “Europe’s oldest prehistoric town.” Scientists were surprised to learn about a highly developed civilization that specialized in the production of salt. Salt, at the time, was used as currency and exported to distant markets. (Neat trivia: "Salary" is derived from the word "salt.")

The residents of the town apparently used ceramic vessels and large domed kilns to boil water from a local saltwater spring. The resulting salt bricks were used for the preservation of meat.

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube/News Worldwide/Trud Daily; Google Maps.