Three Things Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids

1. That the punishment for telling the truth will always be better than the punishment for lying. The reason kids lie is because they're afraid of getting in trouble- trust me, I know! In the beginning I used to always tell the truth and I quickly realized that I was in DEEP trouble. I decided early on that the punishment for lying could be no worse than the ones I received for telling the truth, plus I got the added bonus of doing what I wanted to do in the first place. If kids know that they can tell you the truth without being grounded for life, I think there's a much greater likelihood for an open dialogue and that your children will believe they can really come to you to talk instead of to someone else who might be giving them very bad advice.
2. Always stick up for the underdog. If someone is being bullied then you come to the other person's defense. There is no excuse or justification for cruel behavior and it's so easy to jump on the bandwagon of picking on someone who is too shy or too afraid to stick up for themselves. By coming to that person's defense you will show others your true character while highlighting that bully's lack of it. And while sometimes it may be hard to be that person who openly goes against and defends the person it's popular to pick on, ultimately, they'll feel better about themselves and others will soon recognize their true worth in spades!
3. No matter what they do, you will ALWAYS love and support them. A child or teenager should never be afraid to come to their parent because they fear their parent will stop loving them. They should know their parents will be their advocate throughout life, their biggest fan, and a constant source of love. Of course that doesn't mean a parent should just say "do what you want, it's your life," they should be a guide, pointing out when their child is in the wrong and what they should do to fix it. And sometimes, if their kid has wronged someone else, or hasn't followed through with something they should have, a parent should be there to right that wrong- not just for their child, but for the other person, and to be an example of magnanimous love. As parents, I believe it's our job to right our childrens wrongs until they do so, or else it's just a poor reflection on us as parents. But ultimately, every kid should know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, no matter how badly they screw up,- their parent(s) will always be there for them, with open arms full of love. Think of the prodigal son!

So that's my list, not surprisingly, it comes mostly from experience. Like yesterday when Spencer knocked down a huge display of cards at the hospital and refused to pick them up. I didn't leave them there for someone else to pick up my slack, I did it myself. Or how I didn't tell my parents I was pregnant for almost a month after I found out because I believed my mom would disown me. What do you think are the three most important things to teach a child?

The Bestie's Story

This weekend has just been crazy! Sara, the bestie, called me on Friday night and told me she was heading to the hospital- her contractions were 3 minutes apart and she was in agony. A little after midnight I got a text message that said after admitting her they were sending her home. Because she had to have an emergency C-Section for Lila, insurance mandated that she had to have other one this baby. When she got to the hospital her water had yet to break, and once again, insurance mandated she be sent home because they weren't go to pay for her go through early labor at the hospital. (Insurance also doesn't pay for C-Sections prior to 7 seven days before your due date, unless it's an emergent situation- it was 9 days before her due date.)


She was miserable and really suffering, unable to sleep and having contractions on top of contractions, with little break in between. On Saturday I had to go to my 8 and 1/2 hour anatomy and physiology class so I couldn't''t be with her. I stopped by after it was over and her face was white with pain, tears in her eyes. It was really hard for me to see her like that and knowing I could do nothing about it. Well, I did bring her a yummy slurpee and her favorite Halloween gum, but what I really wanted to do was go to that hospital, tell them who my dad was, and make them admit for real! But I didn't- sanity prevailed :)


Going to class for 8 hours really takes it out of you and I was exhausted. This morning (Sunday), in the early hours, I got a text message that baby had arrived and both he and Sara were doing great. At 3:30 am, with her water still not broken, she couldn't take the pain any longer and had her husband drive her to the hospital. When they checked her in, she was six (6) cm dilated! Six cm and no water breakage- can you imagine!? She'd been having contractions 1-2 minutes apart for almost two entire days. To me, she is rock star!


They doctors and nurses had to do some serious rushing to get her doctor there and her prepped and ready to the OR (her family didn't even have time to make it!) so that they could section the baby out. He was breech, so this added a little bit more drama to the situation. This morning at 5am their son was born, 7 lbs 5 oz!

And let me tell you, he is beautiful! Such a handsome little man. Spencer and I went up there after Sara had a chance to nap- which was much needed since she hadn't slept in 48 hours. I charged my camera battery and was ready to start taking pictures when I realized my memory card wasn't in there- ugh! I'm still so mad at myself! Her son (no name until I can make sure it's okay with her) is so much bigger than Lila, who was born at only 8 months (just like Spencer) and was a teeny tiny little preemie of a baby.



When I held him I had Sara's husband take Spencer and Lila to play to the little park at the hospital grounds, as she tends to get a little jealous when she sees me holding other babies! As he was snuggled in my arms I caught a whiff of that newborn baby smell and tears sprung to my eyes. It was a reminder of how fast Spencer is growing up and how she's never going to have "that smell" again. I wish someone could bottle up newborn baby smell- I mean every new baby smells just like it- surely they could make the scent a lotion, right? Anyway, I just felt so many different emotions holding the little man, much different than with Lila, since Spencer was still technically a baby when she was born. I didn't have this ache in my heart that my little baby wasn't a baby anymore.


After we left we had to go to their house and feed their dogs- they'd been "forgotten" in the haze of pain and labor. Tomorrow, before we head back, I need to go to the store and buy him a little hat. They only ones they had left at the hospital were pink and Sara wasn't too thrilled with that. Any recommendations on where to find one? Hopefully I will be able to get some really good pictures to post for ya'll tomorrow! But for tonight, I'm just completely zonked out. Two "family" babies born in one weekend and one marathon class have completely rendered me exhausted!

** Addie Update- She is off the ventilator! This is just amazing for such a tiny little baby. She'll have to be in the hospital for at least, the very least, 2-3 months, but every tiny step forward helps. The local Quantum House (like the RMDH) is full, but they've been added to the waiting list. The hospital where they're at (the one that has the NICU best able to treat Addie) is quite a long ways from their home, so they were really hopeful that something would become available to them before Katie is discharged tomorrow. Since it looks like that might not happen, please pray that a spot will open up for them very soon! And for Katie who is recovering from her weeks stay in the hospital plus the c-section surgery. Thank you and please keep the prayers coming! **

bv

Show Us Your Life - Go To Dessert Recipe

This week on Kelly's Korner Show Us How You Live, we're continuing with the recipes, but this time it's our favorite go-to dessert recipe. I'm finding this to be very difficult, because there are just so many wonderful desserts out there, I could bake my whole life and still there would be more things to try. I have a two favorite recipes, the first takes a little bit more time, but it's SO worth it, and the second is great recipe for when you need something yummy in a hurry or with minimal effort.

For a great, gooey, sinfully delicious taste of chocolate bliss, it's these wonderful chocolate cake brownies. I did a whole post on it here - Look at it here - but here's a shortened version of that post. There are only a few ingredients, and I'm pretty sure you'll already have everything hiding somewhere in your pantry or cabinets - all you need is sugar, flour, salt, butter, cocoa, baking soda, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk. If you don't have buttermilk - which I NEVER do, here is a trick: In a measuring cup, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and then add enough regular milk so that it equals 1 cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring and Voila, buttermilk.

The Best Chocolate Cake/Brownies EVER

Combine in a mixing bowl:

• 2 cups flour
  2 cups sugar
  1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:

• 2 sticks butter
• Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa.

Stir together.

• Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat.
• Pour over flour mixture, gently stir until it cools down a bit.
  

In a large measuring cup:

• pour 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Add 2 beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture.

Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:

• Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
• Add: 4 full tablespoons of cocoa,
  

Stir to combine, then turn off heat.

• Add: 6 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Stir together and as soon as it's mixed very thoroughly, pour it over your warm cake that you just pulled out of the oven.

Be careful not to pour too much at time, it thickens as it cools, but when your first put it on there, it's still pretty thin.

And that's it. Let it cool and then enjoy!

The next recipe is one of my Mema's. I have all her old recipes that she wrote down and saved in her cooking files. This one is an easy cheesecake. Mema didn't believe in "No Bake" anything, but she also didn't like to spend hours working on a cheesecake. When she was in a pinch she'd use this one and she said no one would ever know the difference. It's much easier than the ones I use to make, but it's just as delish. Hope you enjoy it!

Easy as Pie Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• One 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 8oz of whipped cream (or cool whip if you want to make it a little more healthy)
  
• One Graham Cracker crust. If you don't want to use a store bought one, here's an easy recipe.

Whipped Cream - You can always use store bought whipped cream, but to make your own you'll need :

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip the cream until it's almost stiff. Then add the sugar and vanilla and beat until the cream is able to hold a peak. (If you were to spoon out a dollop, it should have a point that doesn't sink into itself.)

Directions:

Beat(in an electric mixer) the cream cheese and sugar. Mix until very well blended.
Gently stir/fold in the whipped cream or cool whip.
Pour into your crust and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
That's it!

**More Show You How I Live Posts**

Favorite Go To Dinner Recipe
My Baby Shower
School Pictures
Favorite Vacation Spot
I Have a Child. The Jig is Up.
Here Comes the Maid Of Honor

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 6 Auditions

This week on SYTYCD the auditions are in Boston and the guest judge is Tyce Diorio. My favorite thing about him judging is that Cat gets to say his name a lot and I love how she says his name, it cracks me up!

Teddy Tedholm - If It Kills Me, by Jason Mraz - He's a lot of fun, very unique. I can't tell if he's an excellent dancer or anything, it looked a little spastic to me. But the audience gives him a standing ovation and Nigel says it was beautiful to look at for his subtleties and that a lot of people will vote vote for him. Mary thought it was crazy/brilliant and clever. I do think he will probably do well on the competition, because he has a lot of personality. He gets a ticket straight to Vegas.

Jean Lloret - He is an insanely amazing b-boy dancer, I mean fan-freakin-tastic! I've never seen moves like that before from anyone! I rewound it three times because I just couldn't believe some of the moves he was doing, like one armed handstand push-ups, while spinning around in a contorted position. As soon as a video goes up on YouTube I'll put it up. All three judges stand up and wave tickets, they don't even do a critique.

Channing Cooke - A Beautiful Mess, by Jason Mraz - A lovely contemporary dancer, I think she'll benefit from having her routines choreographed for her. She's very athletic and strong, she showed the audience her very defined bicep muscle and in the preview she was doing gymnastics on the beach. They send her to the choreograph round and then on to Vegas.

Ryan Casey - Fantastic Voyage, by Coolio - Another tap dancer! I can't believe how many great tap dancers there are this year. He's a bit awkward and very tall, but his tapping skills were great and I had fun watching him dance. He gets sent to choreography. He doesn't get to Vegas this year, but he had a great attitude and said he's only 18 and he'll work harder and be back next year.

Russell Ferguson- He is a krumper and no dancer who's been a krumper has made it to Vegas. I'm not sure that I get the genre, but he seemed very talented. Nigel said "In the words of Lil' C, that was buck!" They want to make sure that he's trained in other styles so they send him to choreography. He's obviously a very trained, very talented dancer, and he's going to Vegas!

Fabrizio "Breeze" Jenkins - I don't know what his style is, I think it's a popping/locking and something else type fusion. He was interesting, he fell over in the middle of the dance, but he recovered well. I don't think he will be making it to Vegas, but Nigel wants to see him in choreography. I'm surprised. Nigel also makes some reference to Mary's ancestors being from Salem - implying that she's a witch I guess. Breeze has some trouble in the choreography round and he leaves before dancing for the judges again.

Karen and Matthew Hauer - Ballroom Dancers - They were very good, I guess I'm going to end up comparing all salsa-esque dancers to Jeanette, and that's not fair. But I liked them, I especially thought it was great that they're the first husband and wife to ever make it Vegas. The judges loved them and thought they looked like movie stars. Off to Sin City.

Gene Bersten - Boom Boom Pow, by the BEP - He seems to be ballroom/jazzy, but the doesn't have a partner. His routine his a lot of fun, he gives Mary some lasciviously glances, and then unbuttons his shirt for her! Mary doesn't like how much he moves his eyebrows and every agrees. It did look a little ball room dance competition-esque. They send him to choreography and then to Vegas.

Paul Magliato - Viva La Vida, by Coldplay - I said I'd write about the really bad ones, and this was really bad. He wore blue spandex pants and shirt that wasn't quite long enough. The routine was akin to an ice skating routine and he's 46 years old - which he said wouldn't stop him. I hate to write mean things about people, especially when it seems like their heart is broken by the harsh words of the judges. I don't know if he really thinks he can dance or if he was playing it up for the camera- either way, I felt badly for him. They are not sending him to Vegas.

Montage of bad dancers with Tyce giving particularly harsh comments and they call him Dr. Evil. My favorite was "watching you dance is like watching paint dry."

Kevin "K'Bez" Hunte - Boom Boom Pow, by the BEP - He's a hip hop dancer and I really liked him. He auditioned a few seasons ago and since then he's been working in contemporary. I felt like the judges were a bit harsh, especially Tyce. They send him to choreography but they were so mean to him, I don't know how he'll be able to perform! But he does and he's going to Vegas.

That's it folks, next week the auditions continue in Atlanta!

The Last Wednesday

Spencer and I went over to Sara's house for our last Wednesday play date before her new little man graces us with his presence. It was also out last play date at the house where she's lived since before getting married. To mark the day we made sugar cookies like we used to do and ordered our favorite pizza, a luxury we haven't afforded ourselves since having the kiddos. Even though we tried to make it memorable, it was hard to be nostalgic and reminisce since there's a one year old and a two year old running around, but now that we're back home it's starting to sink in.

They are only moving a few blocks away from their old house, so it's not that she's going too far away or anything- it's just all the memories that I have there. It was my home away from home for so long. When I graduated college and moved back in with my parents I would spend many nights there as an "escape" from feeling like I was still in high school. After I moved into my apartment during law school, I would go there to "escape" from the tedious life of a 1L. When I had to move back home because of my very unplanned pregnancy with Spencer, I spent many nights crying on her sofa snuggled up with her dogs. It was actually in her upstairs bathroom that she informed me my pregnancy test was indeed positive. After Spencer was born, her house was my place of refuge, I could go there and just be Katie instead of Katie, unwed single mother.

Good things always happened to me there. I'm not a lucky person, I never have been. I don't win contests, my slot machines never pour out the big bucks, and if a bird is flying above me and 100 other people- he'll poop on my head. But something about her house was lucky for me. I'm sure if I lived there I might feel differently, glad to get into a bigger house that has a kitchen large enough for a table and a hot water heater that doesn't go cold after 5 minutes. But that house has been the one constant thing in my life since graduating. When everything was in question and my world was spinning, I could always go there and feel at ease, just comforted by being there.

Next week when her new little boy enters this world, the final move will take place while she's still in the hospital. Most of their things are already there, but the "life blood" of their home is still at their old house. The new home is wonderful, beautiful, and spacious while the old one is small(er), crowded, and aging. But it was their starting off place, where they got engaged and where they started their real life together. It was where I started my real life, too. I'm excited to go to the new abode for our first Wednesday with three children instead of two, but I do feel like a huge chapter in our lives is closing. It's a grown up house and I still have a hard time seeing us as real adults. I often feel like I'm just playing a part in a play and any day now the curtain will close and I'll be an immature teenager again. Is that crazy? Am I the only one who feels that way?

I'm sure it's painfully obvious to anyone reading this that I have a difficult time accepting change. It's why I've let bad, bad relationships go on too, too long, why I have nightmares when even entertaining the thought of a new hair style, why I resisted getting a DVD player for years after they became standard fare (I had over 200 VHS tapes! I didn't want to start an entire new collection), why I keep my size 4 pants in the bottom of my drawer (because of course I'm going to fit into them one day), and why I insist on blowing out the number of candles of the age I'm turning on my birthday (I can still blow them all out, even with 27!). And as I get older I'm realizing that things are changing more often and much more quickly than I'm wanting it. I guess that's just a part of growing up and being a real adult.

But I'm a fake grown up, remember?

Richard Nixon's Nickname

Before telling this humdinger of a tale, I'd just like to warn you that it's, um, slightly blue in nature. Okay? Okay.

Spencer and I were outside this afternoon playing in the backyard. She was picking buttercups and I was watching her squeal in delight. My elderly next door neighbor was also outside enjoying the beautiful day underneath of her patio umbrella. She was talking on the phone and I couldn't help but hear her booming voice- my buttercups and her patio are right beside each other.
I'm helping Spencer make a bouquet of the flowers when I hear this from my 75 year old neighbor- "I only put store bought meat in my mouth, I don't put [insert Richard Nixon's nickname, otherwise known as a slang term for the male genitalia] in there."

A little old lady, just like this!

I don't think anyone would consider me a prude, I'm definitely not, but I think my eyes would have bulged out of my head if it were possible. I tried to reconcile what I just heard with the knowledge of who said it, my mind reeling- it's still reeling as I write this. I was so embarrassed that I had heard her, I know I turned eight shades of red, but at the same time, she had to know that we were there and could hear her!
My first instinct was to try and skulk away, whispering to Spencer that if she stopped picking flowers I'd give her some ice cream as soon as we got inside. I just wanted to escape as quickly as possible. Miraculously, she obliged and ran to the porch to await her Haagen Das vanilla treat. Spencer rarely does what I ask her to do the first time- she usually gauges how serious I am and then reacts accordingly- but today she listened. (Insert the Hallelujah Chorus)

The whole scene keeps popping back into mind, along with an involuntary shudder. I know that I didn't do anything wrong, but I feel like did. Although I am VERY grateful that Spencer wasn't paying attention to her, because she's turned into an excellent mimic, and that's the LAST thing I need her repeating over and over again! Can you imagine??!!
We don't have all that much interaction with this neighbor, but we see her every single day and usually say something "neighborly" to each other. Am I making too big a deal of this, because I've been known to do that before? I'm sure that I might have found it amusing had Spencer not been there, but she was there. And it was just yesterday that she ran around saying "damm it" after I said it when I stepped on one of her magnetic letters that she'd thrown on the floor. I'm pretty certain if she went around saying Richard Nixon's nickname, someone would call CPS.
Before the above events occurred, I did manage to take these super cute pictures of Spencer. I have the overwhelming need to end this post with them.

Show Us Your Life- Go To Recipe

This week on Show Us How You Live, the topic of the day is our "go-to" recipe. I'm not much of a cook, but I've made this recipe many times and it's easy and delish!

Hidden Valley Ranch Crispy Chicken

1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. corn flake crumbs
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (powder)
Make sure that you use the powdered mix and not the actual dressing. It's in the same aisle as the regular ranch.

Combine corn flake crumbs, Parmesan cheese and dressing mix in a zip-lock baggie- set aside. Melt butter. Dip chicken in melted butter and then coat chicken with crumb mixture. Put the piece of chicken in the baggie (one at a time), seal it up, and shake it until it's coated. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.


I like to cut my chicken breasts in half to make them thinner, so if you do that, it doesn't need to cook for 45 minutes. For me, it's 25-30mins, but if you make this way, just see what works for you and your oven.
That's it- Enjoy!

**More Show You How I Live Posts**

My Baby Shower
School Pictures
Favorite Vacation Spot
I Have a Child. The Jig is Up.
Here Comes the Maid Of Honor

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 6 Auditions

Auditions are starting off in Phoenix, Arizona and Mia Michaels is the guest judge. Did ya'll hear the news today about the 3rd permanent judge? Apparently the powers that be decided that they needed a permanent judge instead instead of a roving one and Adam Shankman is the newbie. I'll be interested to read why they decided to do that.

Sasha Mallory - First Love by Adele - She had some pretty powerful jumps, I wasn't a huge fan of her routine, but I have a feeling that she's a pretty amazing dancer. She made it to Vegas in Season 4, but she was only 18 then, and she thinks she's better prepared this year.

Snippets Of:

Katie Muth

Ellie Soto

Allison Becker - You Found Me, The Fray - She's deaf! She doesn't have the best technique, but it's obvious that she loves dancing. You wouldn't be able to tell that she's hearing impaired by the way she dances. Mary begins to cry because she had a deaf cousin who wasn't able to see the joy in life. They put her through to the choreography round and then to Vegas.

Jacob Jason & Willem de Vries -Make You Feel My Love, Adele- A same sex couple- we all know how Nigel feels about that! I actually thought they were pretty good, it was certainly passionate. Mary and Mia both begin to cry because of their courage and passion. Nigel thanks them for showing him that same sex male ballroom dancers can be very strong and very good. he then asks them to go to the choreography round and then they both go to Vegas!

Jarvis Johnson - Hit the Dance Floor - Unk - He has some pretty sick moves and he's super hyper, like a ball of energy on crack times twenty. He does an impressive Moonwalk and actually dances right out of his shoes. I had fun watching him dance. Nigel calls him a dancing fool and he gets sent to the choreography round. He collapses during that round and then goes home.

Montage of Bad Dancers. There's a lot of referencing to the aliens having landed. And there are a lot of strange dancers.

Kelsey White - Only Fools Rush In - Ingrid Michaelson - Lovely dancing, nothing too special. She tells Nigel that the aliens have kidnapped her once before and Nigel walks off stage. They put her through to choreography. They want her to try out next year- she doesn't go on.

Jonathan "Legacy" Perez - Watch Me Now - He's a b-boy dancer and quite phenomenal at it! I really enjoyed watching his routine and he gets sent right through to Vegas.

That's it! Next week auditions are on the East Coast.

Scarlett Poppy Art

I planted my poppy seeds (for flowers) back in April. They finally bloomed last week. For months now I thought I did something wrong, or my seeds were defective, or I was defective at planting. But then this magnificent bloom appeared out of nowhere and I was so happy. This is a Scarlett Poppy, although it's not red, so I'm not 100% sure why that's her name. (And yes, it's a girl!)

Exhaustion

I am so tired today. That 8 hour class really takes it out of me and it takes a few days for me to recover. You'd be surprised how hard it is to sit in a chair for 8 hours- and pay attention and not let your brain wander.


Last night I fell asleep during the VMAs! Of course I managed to watch the highlights today and I guess I missed a lot. I know everyone's talking about how awful Kanye West was to Taylor Swift, but all I could think about was Lady GaGa's wardrobe. Could someone please tell me why she dresses like that? Is there a real reason or is it just to be different?


I also have a prayer request- Spencer's cousin went into labor last night and she's only 27, almost 28 weeks, along. The doctors were able to get the contractions stopped, but her water did break, and right now they're just trying to keep the little one inside for a few more weeks. So please pray for her and husband, they're both wonderful people and very scared right now. Thanks!

It Started Off Like Any Other Day

I was walking to an early morning class and I was a jumble of nerves. The night before had been my boyfriend's 21st birthday. I was only 19 so I didn't want to be a drag on the festivities of the evening, since I knew the plan was a crawl through town. In my mind this was a huge sacrifice on my part, but in reality I had an early class the next day, had celebrated with him over the weekend, and was in the middle of sorority rush (before I was a Kappa). But I had this sick feeling in my stomach that bad was going to happen and I was so worried. He hadn't called me, like he promised he would, when he was safely home and I just knew this meant that he was either in bed with someone else or in the hospital.
 (What can say, I was a drama queen).

All these thoughts are racing through my mind and spilling out of my mouth, as I told my best male friend as we walked together. He said all the right things, but I could tell he was thinking I was acting nutsy. We walked into Morton and it was eerily quiet, we looked at the clock and it was a few minutes before 9am. As we got to our classroom I saw the tv turned on, there were students gathered around it. No one said anything, tears glistening in their eyes. Neither of us still had any idea what was going on, we saw the first tower on fire with a hole in the side, but the reality had yet to sink in.
And then we saw something else, it was like a horror movie where you're helpless to do anything but watch. The second plane zoomed into sight, obviously headed in the direction of the World Trade Center, and then it disappeared into the other tower, as though it had been swallowed whole. A ripple of cries, screams, and gasps went through the room and then the building.

Everything I had been worried about before left my mind, I was now convinced that this was the End of Days and the end of the world. No one on the news was able to give an explanation other then America was under attack. A few minutes later we learned that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon, which was only 90 minutes from Richmond. The next speculation we heard was that "they" were moving down the East Coast, and that the FED in Richmond was being evacuated, as the possible next target. Our cell phones wouldn't work and the Internet had crashed. I felt so helpless. But it got worse when they speculated that the next hit might be the nuclear power plant, which is in the Williamsburg zone or Camp Peary, in Williamsburg, which is a CIA training ground.
I felt trapped. Against the advice of my friends, I hopped into my car and drove home. No matter what happened, I wanted to be with my family. I was only a sophomore and we weren't allowed to have cars yet, I just happened to have mine because of rush. The roads were empty. I saw only a handful of cars on the hour drive to my house.

And we watched the news, listened to the stories, and then came the realization-the feeling that nothing would ever be the same again. It's easier to forget that day, to pretend that it didn't change the course of American history forever. It's not a day I like to think about, but I feel a responsibility to remind myself of it every September 11th. For those of us who were lucky enough to not loose anyone we love, I think the anniversary can become an abstract day of remembrance and ultimately "just another day." But for so many, it's when lost their life as they knew it- something impossible to forget because it's defined their every day since then. And it's for them that I choose to remember.

My Little Mimic

This is Spencer texting. Today she tried to put on deodorant after I did. I guess tomorrow she'll be shaving her legs. My little baby girl, two going on twenty.

SYTYCD - Audition Recap

Since the last season of So You Think You Can Dance just ended, I'm feeling a tad worn out on doing a lengthy recap of the audition rounds. Thankfully this season they're only going to be one hour instead of two, but I've decided to just write about the dancers who make it through to Vegas. If a particular dancer is awesomely horrible, I might write about it- sometimes I just can't help myself!

This round of auditions starts off in Los Angeles, which is a departure from the norm, it usually ends there, or it's one of the last cities. I hope they don't make me fall in love with any dancer only to never show them again and then pick dancers for the Top 20 that we've never seen before. Adam Shankman is the guest judge.

Mollee Gray - Super cute girl who's been a dancer in all three High School Musicals. She just turned 18 and this was the first year she could try out.

Brief snippets of:

David Hovhannisyan

Amanda Kirby- she tried out last season and made it to Vegas, but was cut.

Brandon Dumlau

Ryan Kasprzak - (Evan's older brother who was the 21st, just missing out on the Top 20. Ugh, it still makes me mad that Tony Bellisimo made it over him) He does a very cool tap routine, a capella, and he even sings too. He was always my favorite of the brothers, so I'm very glad he's going to Vegas again. I just hope that America isn't tired of him because of Evan.

Bianca Revels- She wasn't going to try out again after getting cut last year, but she decided to give it one my try. I think that was a smart choice, because she really is a phenomenal tap dancer.


He and Bianca do a "tap off" that was pretty incredible, she does some pretty sick moves. It makes me want to break out my tap shoes and do a few time steps!

Amber Williams - Her mom was paralyzed in a freak accident during back surgery - she dances to a beautiful song that I'm going to download in minute, Always Midnight by Pat Monahan. She's a great dancer, I enjoyed watching her and she was so light on her feet, like she was floating across the floor.

Snippets of contemporary dancers:

Alexie Agdeppa
Paula van Oppen

Christina Santana- Salsa dancer, she's no Janette, but she's very cute and had some good moves, especially a nice spin. She's also a belly dancer, which of course Nigel loves and makes her do a little of.

Phillip Attmore - He's another ridiculously talented tap dancer and a great showman. I think he just might give Ryan a run for his tapping money! They know each other and tapped together when they were on tour in Fosse.

That's it, off to Glee!

Jon Gosselin is a Bag of Summer's Eve

I don't usually say this kind of thing, well that's not entirely true, I don't usually write out this kind of thing, but Jon Gosselin is a douchebag. There's really no other word for him, at least not one that accurately describes his level of dirt bag.

I was dumb and there really wasn't much else on tv so I decided to watch the Prime Time special with the interview of the Father of the Year. I feel guilty that I even gave up 30 minutes of my life for this craptastic display of ... I don't know the word... but he was just so mean. I don't care if Kate is witchy-b, she doesn't deserve to have the father of her 8, eight, children go on tv and proclaim to all the world that he despises her. Yes, he used that word- despise, which Webster defines as- to look down on with contempt or aversion, to regard as worthless.

Sorry for this rant, but my blood began to boil as I was watching this father completely and totally trash the mother of his kids. And I remembered back a few months ago when he said he was worried about his kids googling him one day and what they might read. Um, well I think when they watch this it's going to be a whole lot more damaging than a google search!

Okay, all done. Wait, not yet, he also said that he loved his new 22 year old "soul mate" more than he loved Kate. Yes, he actually used that word. I think I just threw up a little. Alright, now I'm finished!

The Day Before the First Day of School

To me, Labor Day has always meant the last day of summer vacation, the day before school starts, and the beginning of fall. I guess this technically changed when I started college, but I didn't really notice or pay attention to it because we still had classes on that day. It wasn't until my first post-graduation Labor Day that I felt sad- it no longer represented what it once did.

I know a lot of states start school sometime during August, but in Virginia, when I was of the "school aged," we had something known as the Kings Dominion Law. It mandated that public schools were not allowed to start the year before Labor Day- in large part because of the tourism industry.
I've always loved going back to school, school supply shopping, and getting my new school year wardrobe. It was something I was so ready for by the beginning of every August. There was never any dread about starting school again, just the anticipation of all the great things I imagined would happen that year. I could never sleep the night before, even more so than on Christmas Eve. (Isn't that crazy?) My dad took me to breakfast every year on the first day, even in high school when we had to get up at 5am because my ride was picking me up at 6:30. (Yes, I was too cool for the bus by the 9th grade).

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones who have nothing but glorious memories of my formal schooling years. I guess I'm doubly lucky that I have nothing but the same memories of college, too! But that's beside the point. Erma Bombeck once said "There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child." And how true is that? I've spent every year since I stopped believing in Santa Claus trying to recreate that magic- the magic I once felt. But I also think there's something very sad about waking up on Labor Day and knowing that you aren't going to have your first day of school tomorrow. That those years have passed, this is now an ordinary day, and tomorrow the school supplies will all go on sale.

I'm sure when Spencer starts kindergarten the same feelings will return, but I can't think about that now because it makes me teary. I know people always say that some of the Christmas magic returns when your children start believing in Santa, so I'm hoping the same thing applies to this craziness I feel about the first day of school! Sometimes I can't believe that era of my life is over- it will never happen again- it just doesn't make sense to me. When I was growing up I always remember adults telling me to enjoy my youth because it goes by too fast. I used to think they were nuts, because I was enjoying my youth! And now I think that might have been really bad advice, because I loved my youth so much that it's really, impossibly hard for me to let go of.


I've always thought it's unfair that we're young for such a short period of time and then old for the rest of our lives. Now that I'm getting older my definition of old is of course changing a bit, haha, but the day is going to come when there will be no about it- I'll be old. (The Lord willing.) And it's days like today that remind me of how fleeting this whole thing is. One of the Bible verses that's always haunted me is James 14:4 - You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. And there's nothing I can control about that.

Today is my bestie's birthday and we celebrated as we have done every year, reminiscing about old times and the good old days while wondering about our futures. A song came on the radio from that time, reminding us of our youth, and suddenly the memories came flooding back of the angsty days gone by. And I was happy. As much as I loved my youth, I'm looking forward to what's still to come. There are still the feelings of butterflies and anticipation about the tomorrows in my life. I'm so lucky that I have such wonderful memories but I'm even more thankful for all the ones I still have to make.

Happy Birthday Sara!

High School

College

And Beyond!

The Stats

We went to the doctor on Friday and Spencer now weighs 31 lbs and is 35 inches tall! She got a bunch of shots and has not been the happiest camper since then. I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Acts of Kindness

Yesterday afternoon I went to the mailbox, as I always do, expecting to find nothing in it but bills. When I opened the door I saw a little red envelope. (And no bills!) I hadn't ordered anything recently, and it's not my birthday, so my first thought was that the Letter Carrier must have put it in the wrong mailbox. But when I took it out, there was my name written in big bold letters.

I was so excited!
Something for me!
That I didn't order for myself!

I had to force myself not to open it until I got back to the house- so I could savor the moment, haha. When I got to my porch I sat down and opened the envelope, reading the card first. It was from my college Roomie, Beth- kind and encouraging words about me going back to school.


Tears immediately began to well up in my eyes as I closed the card. I started to open the little box underneath of it and that's when I saw these perfect, darling earrings.

The Fleur-de-Lis is the flower of my sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. It's also my favorite symbol/design/motif and I have them all over my house. Bethie was in a different sorority, but she still remembered that after all these years!

Aren't they so cute? When I saw that they were little Fleur-de-Lis earrings, the brimming tears in my eyes came spilling out and I felt so thankful, filled with gratitude. This whole week I'd been feeling unsure about going back to school, nervous that I wasn't as smart as I once was, and thinking that I might have made a mistake about everything. Then the mail came and I read Beth's thoughtful card, saw the sweetest earrings, and I instantly felt her support and encouragement. And did you notice the message on the card holding the earrings? It says:

HOPE_

LIVE IN POSSIBILITY

(How perfect)

I've always been one of those people who has many acquaintances, a lot of casual buddies, some good friends, and just a handful of Real Friends. But I have the BEST Real Friends. They've always been there for me, even when I was unfriendable. They were supportive and never gave up on our friendship. Beth's generous token reminded me of how grateful and lucky I am to have her in my life- how fortunate I am that she's my Real Friend.

Thank you so much Beth, I love, Love, LOVE the earrings, and as you can see, they're already in my ears :)

Show Us Your Life - School Pictures

This week's topic on Show Us Your Life is all about your school pictures. I'm not sure if this means first day of school pictures, yearly pictures, or just plain old embarrassing pictures from the "ugly years." In the spirit of openness, sharing, and some loud laughs at my expense, I'm posting a wide variety :)

Just to warn you, give you a heads up, I started off cute. Some (me) might say adorable. Then came the ugly years. Or as my family calls it, "the awkward times." I rebounded okay, I guess, but those years were difficult. Well, difficult might be the understatement of the year, they were torture! I'm glad I can laugh about them now, because back then, to me, it was NOT funny.

I know this isn't a school picture, but it will help you appreciate the later years more!

What a cute kid I was! This was after the first day of school in kindergarten.




3rd Grade, I was 9 years old. This was the last "semi cute" picture I would take until I was 14. That's 5 years of bad pictures!

I can't believe I'm putting this out there for the world to see. 3rd Grade talent show.

My 5th grade picture. I got the dreaded glasses, sigh. Not so cute, haha

This was in the 5th grade, too, these were taken on Valentine's Day. Just in case you wondering why I'm in ALL red.




You know you wanted a close up of this "classic picture!" haha

7th Grade. It's a little improvement, but not much.

This is probably the picture that shows the biggest jump- this was at the end of 8th grade, one year after the picture right above. I was 14.

++++

These were before my Senior year, I'm not 100% sure where exactly, but I think I'm 16 and 17, respectively. But I could be wrong.




Senior year, at our last game. I'm third from the right.




High School Graduation



My 20th birthday




Last day of my Junior year of college- 21 years old

College Graduation

Me now. 27 years young!

**More Show You How I Live Posts**

My Baby Shower
Favorite Vacation Spot
I Have a Child. The Jig is Up.
Here Comes the Maid Of Honor