So, I'm not a very organized person. I really, really, really want to be. I want to have systems of where stuff is but I just have no organizational skills. At work, I have my stuff in piles. I have my file cabinet at work somewhat organized but it still doesn't seem to be done the most efficient way.
Now, I have a baby and this whole being unorganized thing is really bothering me. His room is so scattered. Things just aren't where they need to be and I have no method or knowledge of how to fix it. I need to hire an organizational person to help me!
I'm also not doing a good job at this savoring the memories deal. With a baby, you want to take lots of pictures. You'd think with my job, I'd do a great job of that but I don't. I just don't take enough pictures and when I do take pictures I just save them on my computer and never do anything with them. I still haven't organized my pictures from my wedding and that was over 7 years ago! So when Corbin is older I'll have pictures but will have no idea how old he was or what he was doing. And, the pictures won't be in albums. I want so badly to do a little scrapbook for him. I have the scrapbook, I have all the little things to put in it, I just need to do it!
And that is my rant for the day.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Weekend to remember
So this past weekend was a great one, possibly the first great weekend I've truly had in a long time. It was a weekend of nothing but fun stuff!
On Saturday, Allen was recruited to work with my cousin's husband on a side job he had gotten. So me and Corbin decided to head up to the Raleigh area and spend the day with her. We spent the day shopping and just hanging out. We had Corbin and I was worried it would be a very stressful day, taking a baby shopping but in the end, Corbin was a perfect little angel. I am so blessed to have such a good baby. He's happy in pretty much any environment. As long as he gets food when he's hungry and changed when he's got a dirty diaper, he's a happy little boy! And if Corbin's happy, I'm happy! We went to the Farmer's Market in Raleigh and then just went shopping. I finally got my hair cut too!
On Sunday, we went to church in Nashville. We went to a church that we've been to once before and we both liked it. They have a good mix of folks there. We're looking for something that doesn't just meet on Sunday and Wednesday. We want a church with a good children's ministry but also other ministries that can help Allen and myself. Allen thinks this is the church he wants to go to. I like it too but there's one or two more churches I'd like to try first. But, we agreed that we'd go here consistently for a few weeks and then maybe try another church.
The message yesterday was really good and it gave me a lot to think about.
After church, we had lunch and then Allen and I had to go shopping to run some errands. It took a while to do our errands but we finally made it home, we rested a bit and then we packed up the dogs and Corbin and went to Medoc Mountain State Park to go on a short hike.
The dogs have been so neglected the past 5 months. They've been good sports though so we decided we'd do something special for them. They used to be the center of attention and now, it's Corbin so I know it's been a difficult transition for them but they have been great. They are a part of our family too and once Corbin is older, we plan to take the dogs with us a lot of places. So, we decided to go the park and see how they did. They did okay. They are fairly well behaved dogs. Allen is very strict on them and he disciplines them a lot. Because they are pit bulls, we have to be extra strict because, well, people are stupid. Just looking at our dogs freaks people out. So, we have to make sure they behave in public because it's our responsibility to show people the true pit bull. We have some work to do with our dogs. They aren't but they are very curious and they get super excited when they see other people and other animals and of course, they're excitement to other people looks like viciousness. So, we have to socialize them a little better. But during our hike, they did good. Allen had Corbin in one of those little kangaroo packs and he took Abby. And I carried a backpack and handled Sheba. We had a good walk and the girls seemed to enjoy it. I wish we could make our trips to Medoc Mountain a routine Sunday thing!!
These are the type of weekends I love, weekends of just laying back and hanging out with my family. They remind me of how lucky I am to have such a great family!
On Saturday, Allen was recruited to work with my cousin's husband on a side job he had gotten. So me and Corbin decided to head up to the Raleigh area and spend the day with her. We spent the day shopping and just hanging out. We had Corbin and I was worried it would be a very stressful day, taking a baby shopping but in the end, Corbin was a perfect little angel. I am so blessed to have such a good baby. He's happy in pretty much any environment. As long as he gets food when he's hungry and changed when he's got a dirty diaper, he's a happy little boy! And if Corbin's happy, I'm happy! We went to the Farmer's Market in Raleigh and then just went shopping. I finally got my hair cut too!
On Sunday, we went to church in Nashville. We went to a church that we've been to once before and we both liked it. They have a good mix of folks there. We're looking for something that doesn't just meet on Sunday and Wednesday. We want a church with a good children's ministry but also other ministries that can help Allen and myself. Allen thinks this is the church he wants to go to. I like it too but there's one or two more churches I'd like to try first. But, we agreed that we'd go here consistently for a few weeks and then maybe try another church.
The message yesterday was really good and it gave me a lot to think about.
After church, we had lunch and then Allen and I had to go shopping to run some errands. It took a while to do our errands but we finally made it home, we rested a bit and then we packed up the dogs and Corbin and went to Medoc Mountain State Park to go on a short hike.
The dogs have been so neglected the past 5 months. They've been good sports though so we decided we'd do something special for them. They used to be the center of attention and now, it's Corbin so I know it's been a difficult transition for them but they have been great. They are a part of our family too and once Corbin is older, we plan to take the dogs with us a lot of places. So, we decided to go the park and see how they did. They did okay. They are fairly well behaved dogs. Allen is very strict on them and he disciplines them a lot. Because they are pit bulls, we have to be extra strict because, well, people are stupid. Just looking at our dogs freaks people out. So, we have to make sure they behave in public because it's our responsibility to show people the true pit bull. We have some work to do with our dogs. They aren't but they are very curious and they get super excited when they see other people and other animals and of course, they're excitement to other people looks like viciousness. So, we have to socialize them a little better. But during our hike, they did good. Allen had Corbin in one of those little kangaroo packs and he took Abby. And I carried a backpack and handled Sheba. We had a good walk and the girls seemed to enjoy it. I wish we could make our trips to Medoc Mountain a routine Sunday thing!!
These are the type of weekends I love, weekends of just laying back and hanging out with my family. They remind me of how lucky I am to have such a great family!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Stinking technology.
I feel very technology illiterate on this blog. I can't figure out how to do links and add photos and stuff like that. And it's very frustrating!
Just recently I discovered people had commented on my blog and I never knew it until I just happened to come across it. And, I've made comments on other blogs and they disappear. So, are these people deleting my comments or am I crazy?
Anyway, I'm at the end of my rope with this whole blogging thing. I want my blog to be all pretty and stuff but I can't figure out how to do it! Grrr, stinking blog, making me feel all stupid and stuff!
Just recently I discovered people had commented on my blog and I never knew it until I just happened to come across it. And, I've made comments on other blogs and they disappear. So, are these people deleting my comments or am I crazy?
Anyway, I'm at the end of my rope with this whole blogging thing. I want my blog to be all pretty and stuff but I can't figure out how to do it! Grrr, stinking blog, making me feel all stupid and stuff!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Big boys and big boy food
Well a lot has happened with my little boy since my last post about him. He is now officially eating stuff other than milk and by stuff, I mean baby cereal, baby food, his hands, his feet, his toys and the cat.
Corbin is officially an eater and boy, does he like to eat. I'm afraid he may be like his mommy and grandpa in that area. But I sure hope he has his daddy's metabolism and doesn't turn into a fatty like his mommy.
Typically, babies are ready to eat between 4 and 6 months. We kind of thought we'd wait until 5 or 6 months. Just before 4 months, Corbin didn't really seem ready. He wasn't really paying attention to us when we ate and he acted like he was getting filled up with his milk. But just a few days after he turned 4 months, that all changed. Corbin was drinking like 4 bottles when he woke up in the morning. That could be anywhere from 16 to like 22 ounces of milk before like 9 a.m.! And even then, he was still hungry.
So, on a Thursday, we decided to let him try some rice cereal. Rice cereal is what they say to feed babies first. It doesn't have much in it that could cause an allergic reaction and babies tend to like it. So on the way home from work that day, I swung by and got some rice cereal and also some oatmeal cereal. I got home a little earlier than usual so went ahead and decided to try the cereal out, in case there was a reaction of some sort. That way, we could still get up with the doctor.
All the magazines say it make take a time or two to get a kid adjusted to eating big boy food. They may reject the food at first, spit it out, make faces, etc., etc. So, I wasn't expecting much the first time.
We put Corbin in his Bumbo seat, snapped on a bib and made his cereal. Then we got our camera out (of course)! As the spoon was moving towards his face, Corbin grabbed it and shoved it into his mouth. And the food disappeared. That was it. After that, Corbin would fuss because we weren't fast enough. He ate a whole tablespoon of it and since that, he's been eating nonstop. He's a hungry little boy.
So far, he's tried apples, peaches, sweet potatoes and carrots and he's eaten all of them, though he does make some funny faces with some of them! There's been nothing he absolutely refused to try. I suppose that's a good thing.
It's so hard to believe we're already at this point. It truly seems like yesterday he was this little baby. And now, he's eating big boy food and possibly even starting to teeth. I think he's also ready for something other than baby food because now, when I eat, he tries to snatch my food away!!! Yep, this kid is definitely mine!
Corbin is officially an eater and boy, does he like to eat. I'm afraid he may be like his mommy and grandpa in that area. But I sure hope he has his daddy's metabolism and doesn't turn into a fatty like his mommy.
Typically, babies are ready to eat between 4 and 6 months. We kind of thought we'd wait until 5 or 6 months. Just before 4 months, Corbin didn't really seem ready. He wasn't really paying attention to us when we ate and he acted like he was getting filled up with his milk. But just a few days after he turned 4 months, that all changed. Corbin was drinking like 4 bottles when he woke up in the morning. That could be anywhere from 16 to like 22 ounces of milk before like 9 a.m.! And even then, he was still hungry.
So, on a Thursday, we decided to let him try some rice cereal. Rice cereal is what they say to feed babies first. It doesn't have much in it that could cause an allergic reaction and babies tend to like it. So on the way home from work that day, I swung by and got some rice cereal and also some oatmeal cereal. I got home a little earlier than usual so went ahead and decided to try the cereal out, in case there was a reaction of some sort. That way, we could still get up with the doctor.
All the magazines say it make take a time or two to get a kid adjusted to eating big boy food. They may reject the food at first, spit it out, make faces, etc., etc. So, I wasn't expecting much the first time.
We put Corbin in his Bumbo seat, snapped on a bib and made his cereal. Then we got our camera out (of course)! As the spoon was moving towards his face, Corbin grabbed it and shoved it into his mouth. And the food disappeared. That was it. After that, Corbin would fuss because we weren't fast enough. He ate a whole tablespoon of it and since that, he's been eating nonstop. He's a hungry little boy.
So far, he's tried apples, peaches, sweet potatoes and carrots and he's eaten all of them, though he does make some funny faces with some of them! There's been nothing he absolutely refused to try. I suppose that's a good thing.
It's so hard to believe we're already at this point. It truly seems like yesterday he was this little baby. And now, he's eating big boy food and possibly even starting to teeth. I think he's also ready for something other than baby food because now, when I eat, he tries to snatch my food away!!! Yep, this kid is definitely mine!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Sad news and covering it
It's been a while since I last posted on here. I've been quite busy.
Work has been stressful and busy and everything else. Sometimes, when I get off work, I just feel like going home, crawling in a hole and bawling my eyes out. Sometimes, news is just sad and depressing.
Being a reporter is not an easy thing but being a reporter with my personality is a lot harder. I don't like talking to strangers. I'm a shy, antisocial person. It amazes me that I even have this job. I have to go out in public and talk to random people, cover all these social events and pretend like I just love, love, love it. But all in all, I know God put me in this job to make me a more social person. So, at the end of most days, I love my job but when I go home, I want to go back to being my anti-social self.
Anyway, it's hard to be so involved in a community and see people you know get hurt and go through things. Death is not something I enjoy covering but I'm glad I can take that person's life and help people remember who they were.
I have covered countless teenage deaths over the years and they are never fun. But it's at least a little easier to handle when it's through an accident. Recently, a young boy killed himself. It was one of those things that completely shocked the entire community. This kid was a star athlete, he was very popular and well liked and he seemed to have such a bright future. As a newspaper, we don't generally cover suicides. There are exceptions of course, like when a person goes into a public place and kills himself. And in this case, because this kid was a very well known athlete, we were scratching our heads on what to do. I had mixed feelings about the whole thing. The week after it happened, we didn't do anything but we told our sports guy to work on something for next week. He was supposed to do a story on the boy and go into detail about his life as a young athlete but also, the article was supposed to at least say how he died. In the end, all that was done was a full page "tribute" to this kid. I'm not against the tribute but I'm not sure how I feel that we ran a full page of photos of this kid and never even mentioned how he died. In my eye, I worry some other kid on the edge could see it and maybe think how we "glamourized" this boy for what he did. It seems we leave it up to the reader to figure out what happened to him.
Anyway, it's a great tribute and I'm sure his family will cut it out and save it forever and ever. But did we, as a newspaper, do our job? I'm not so sure.
Right after this suicide, we had another local guy murdered. This was a 25-year-old who was shot at a club. He was out partying and having fun, got into an argument with a group of guys and got killed.
It's sad that our world is coming to this, that we can't solve arguments the old fashioned way but instead, have to kill one another to prove something.
It's really hard to interview families and friends of people that have been killed, whether it's through a murder, suicide or some accident. It's tough and on the weeks where there is so much bad news to cover, I find it hard to wake up and smile.
Work has been stressful and busy and everything else. Sometimes, when I get off work, I just feel like going home, crawling in a hole and bawling my eyes out. Sometimes, news is just sad and depressing.
Being a reporter is not an easy thing but being a reporter with my personality is a lot harder. I don't like talking to strangers. I'm a shy, antisocial person. It amazes me that I even have this job. I have to go out in public and talk to random people, cover all these social events and pretend like I just love, love, love it. But all in all, I know God put me in this job to make me a more social person. So, at the end of most days, I love my job but when I go home, I want to go back to being my anti-social self.
Anyway, it's hard to be so involved in a community and see people you know get hurt and go through things. Death is not something I enjoy covering but I'm glad I can take that person's life and help people remember who they were.
I have covered countless teenage deaths over the years and they are never fun. But it's at least a little easier to handle when it's through an accident. Recently, a young boy killed himself. It was one of those things that completely shocked the entire community. This kid was a star athlete, he was very popular and well liked and he seemed to have such a bright future. As a newspaper, we don't generally cover suicides. There are exceptions of course, like when a person goes into a public place and kills himself. And in this case, because this kid was a very well known athlete, we were scratching our heads on what to do. I had mixed feelings about the whole thing. The week after it happened, we didn't do anything but we told our sports guy to work on something for next week. He was supposed to do a story on the boy and go into detail about his life as a young athlete but also, the article was supposed to at least say how he died. In the end, all that was done was a full page "tribute" to this kid. I'm not against the tribute but I'm not sure how I feel that we ran a full page of photos of this kid and never even mentioned how he died. In my eye, I worry some other kid on the edge could see it and maybe think how we "glamourized" this boy for what he did. It seems we leave it up to the reader to figure out what happened to him.
Anyway, it's a great tribute and I'm sure his family will cut it out and save it forever and ever. But did we, as a newspaper, do our job? I'm not so sure.
Right after this suicide, we had another local guy murdered. This was a 25-year-old who was shot at a club. He was out partying and having fun, got into an argument with a group of guys and got killed.
It's sad that our world is coming to this, that we can't solve arguments the old fashioned way but instead, have to kill one another to prove something.
It's really hard to interview families and friends of people that have been killed, whether it's through a murder, suicide or some accident. It's tough and on the weeks where there is so much bad news to cover, I find it hard to wake up and smile.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Veterans
I am fortunate that I have a job that, for the most part, I love.
My job allows me to do a lot of things I know I wouldn't normally do. I get to attend lots of different events. One event I cover on a regular basis is a flag-raising ceremony for deceased veterans. It's held every month and a new veteran is honored each time. It's really a great thing and I am thankful I get to go to these events and not only take pictures and do stories, but to pay my respects to these veterans.
Sometimes, we forget about the sacrifices these men and women made for us. And each month, I get reminded. I like that.
The last service that was held, I brought Allen and Corbin. I thought Allen would enjoy seeing it. When we left, Allen made a comment about how he regrets not going into the military. That's something he wanted to do when he was younger.
Allen and Jeff, his best friend growing up, planned to enter the military together. I'm not sure what happened. Jeff did go into the military but I think Allen was unable to because of his heart problems. Of course now, Allen's heart is good as new but back then, it wasn't so good.
I must admit, I'm a little glad Allen didn't end up in the military. Being a military spouse has got to be one of the hardest things ever. I'm not sure I could do it. I think I'd go insane. These men and women make such huge sacrifices to do what they do. I think I'm too selfish to give up my husband like that.
I told Allen that it wasn't too late to go into the military but I admit, I was relieved when he said it was too late because he had a family now. But there are a ton of people who have families that enter the military each and everyday.
I can't imagine Allen not being here for Corbin's birth, not being here to see his first few months of life but there are men, and women, who do it everyday. I admire these folks a lot! And I'm glad I can be a part of honoring some of the older veterans who gave up so much to serve our country. I'm also glad I can put each service into words to share with the rest of the community.
My job allows me to do a lot of things I know I wouldn't normally do. I get to attend lots of different events. One event I cover on a regular basis is a flag-raising ceremony for deceased veterans. It's held every month and a new veteran is honored each time. It's really a great thing and I am thankful I get to go to these events and not only take pictures and do stories, but to pay my respects to these veterans.
Sometimes, we forget about the sacrifices these men and women made for us. And each month, I get reminded. I like that.
The last service that was held, I brought Allen and Corbin. I thought Allen would enjoy seeing it. When we left, Allen made a comment about how he regrets not going into the military. That's something he wanted to do when he was younger.
Allen and Jeff, his best friend growing up, planned to enter the military together. I'm not sure what happened. Jeff did go into the military but I think Allen was unable to because of his heart problems. Of course now, Allen's heart is good as new but back then, it wasn't so good.
I must admit, I'm a little glad Allen didn't end up in the military. Being a military spouse has got to be one of the hardest things ever. I'm not sure I could do it. I think I'd go insane. These men and women make such huge sacrifices to do what they do. I think I'm too selfish to give up my husband like that.
I told Allen that it wasn't too late to go into the military but I admit, I was relieved when he said it was too late because he had a family now. But there are a ton of people who have families that enter the military each and everyday.
I can't imagine Allen not being here for Corbin's birth, not being here to see his first few months of life but there are men, and women, who do it everyday. I admire these folks a lot! And I'm glad I can be a part of honoring some of the older veterans who gave up so much to serve our country. I'm also glad I can put each service into words to share with the rest of the community.
Monday, September 19, 2011
4 months and counting.....
It's hard to believe but my little man is 4 months old! Where has the time gone? And why, as he starts to gain more energy and want to squeal and wiggle and all that fun stuff, am I already thinking of names for the next baby?
Anyway, we're not ready yet by no means so it's just a thought and that's it. But I love having a little baby. It makes me feel important, like I finally have a purpose in this world.
But Corbin is growing so fast, I can't believe it! He's giggling and making all sorts of noises. I swear he even said mama but I doubt he knows what it means so I'm not counting it as his first word. My life has definitely changed but I'm quite happy about the changes. I can't believe that I didn't want kids at first. What was I thinking???
So last week was my week to fast. I made it 3 whole days. That's it. I'm just really stressed out right now and I don't have the willpower but hey, I made it 3 days with no meat or caffeine so I'm proud of myself. And it was a long 3 days.
I plan to do it again when my brain is right. I just wasn't as into it as I should have been so I plan to try again real soon. And next time, I will make it!
In other excitement, we had another fundraiser for Jennifer's scholarship. Bethel had its Unity Festival this weekend and we sold bbq chicken plates. My dad cooked the chicken and it was great, as usual! We only sold 100 plates and we sold out in 2 hours. This year, I was not as into it as usual. There's been so much going on but thank God for my dad. He did a lot of the work this year. And thank God for my family. If it wasn't for them, I'd definitely be in trouble because I wouldn't have any help at all these fundraisers. So prior to this fundraiser we were close to $12,000. Now, after the fundraiser, we are closer to $14,000, actually a little over $14,000. I'm super excited. It's only been 2 years and look how much we've raised! Jennifer would be proud.
We have 3 more years to reach our $25,000 goal and I'm pretty confident we'll surpass it. I'm even more excited about that.
I still miss Jennifer everyday but it does seem to be getting better. Doing this scholarship has helped me grieve in a more productive way. And I think it has done the same for her family. It has allowed us to join together and do something positive to remember Jennifer. And I know Jennifer is looking down on us and smiling.
Anyway, we're not ready yet by no means so it's just a thought and that's it. But I love having a little baby. It makes me feel important, like I finally have a purpose in this world.
But Corbin is growing so fast, I can't believe it! He's giggling and making all sorts of noises. I swear he even said mama but I doubt he knows what it means so I'm not counting it as his first word. My life has definitely changed but I'm quite happy about the changes. I can't believe that I didn't want kids at first. What was I thinking???
So last week was my week to fast. I made it 3 whole days. That's it. I'm just really stressed out right now and I don't have the willpower but hey, I made it 3 days with no meat or caffeine so I'm proud of myself. And it was a long 3 days.
I plan to do it again when my brain is right. I just wasn't as into it as I should have been so I plan to try again real soon. And next time, I will make it!
In other excitement, we had another fundraiser for Jennifer's scholarship. Bethel had its Unity Festival this weekend and we sold bbq chicken plates. My dad cooked the chicken and it was great, as usual! We only sold 100 plates and we sold out in 2 hours. This year, I was not as into it as usual. There's been so much going on but thank God for my dad. He did a lot of the work this year. And thank God for my family. If it wasn't for them, I'd definitely be in trouble because I wouldn't have any help at all these fundraisers. So prior to this fundraiser we were close to $12,000. Now, after the fundraiser, we are closer to $14,000, actually a little over $14,000. I'm super excited. It's only been 2 years and look how much we've raised! Jennifer would be proud.
We have 3 more years to reach our $25,000 goal and I'm pretty confident we'll surpass it. I'm even more excited about that.
I still miss Jennifer everyday but it does seem to be getting better. Doing this scholarship has helped me grieve in a more productive way. And I think it has done the same for her family. It has allowed us to join together and do something positive to remember Jennifer. And I know Jennifer is looking down on us and smiling.
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