Growing up with Technology...

My generation has grown up along side the advancement of technology. Let's start with our Music...

I am not of the generation that had 8 tracks, but I do remember being intrigued by them as a kid. I couldn't believe my dad still had these clunky, outdated box as a way of listening to music. I mean really we were now in the age of cassette tapes. We could not only buy them in the stores with our favorite music on them, but we could also buy them blank and record our own voices on them. This wasn't new with my generation either. We had already surpassed the era of the records and every home now had a record player and a cassette player or boom box.

I remember when I was only 6yrs old that I got my own record player for Christmas. I was so excited to be able to play my own records.

When I was a teenager, out came the CD. It was new and such a better quality. I remember that we had a hard time deciding whether or not to get our first CD player because it meant converting all of our favorite music to CD's. But we also knew that it was inevitable. The cassette tape was following the same path as the the 8 track. Today, this technology has grown yet again with MP3's and IPod's and other ways of getting our music from our computers.

This brings us to another form of technology that has grown with my generation, the typewriter to the computer. When I took Keyboarding class my freshman year of high school, I remember that feeling of being on the verge of something new with computers. Computers were only accessible through offices, schools, or library's. If you had one in your home, you might be considered rich. So while we learned keyboarding skills on the computer at school we were still using the typewriter at home. Typewriters themselves had come a long way and were now electrical. You could now press Enter and on it's own it would return to the left margin to start a new line. This was fancy.

By the time I became a Sophomore everyone had computers in their home and I was taking classes to learn the software like Word Perfect. Only a few short years later the Internet was mainstream and life as we had known it changed drastically.

Whether it is Technology or any other area of life, change must come. We all must grow. It is in this growth that we find out who we really are and what life can really be. With this growth and maturity comes a such a satisfaction of what has gone before and where the future is going.

If only for a moment...

This morning Alyssa and I were looking out the window and we saw a squirrel in the tree. She was so excited and was telling me all about what the squirrel was doing. Then another squirrel caught her attention and she said "mom, look him brother." We talked a little bit about this squirrel having brothers and sisters. I asked her if she had any sisters and I was amazed when she answered no. I was amazed because she seemed to really understand the term sister. I decided to test her further and asked her do you have brothers? Her answer was NO. I thought 'oh well, just a fluke with the sister question, but she will get it someday.' That was when my very smart daughter decided that I needed an explanation. She said "I have a Karston and a Jo." I laughed at the fact that Karston and Jo are her brothers, but to her they are so much more.

If only the joy of that moment had been enough to get me through the last half of the day when they were all arguing and wrestling and screaming at each other. My memory of the sweet innocence of the morning was gone.

But they are now all in bed sleeping and once again calm has blanketed the house. The sacrifice of motherhood seems worth it and the pure joy of having children is returning. Aahhh!

Out with the Old, In with the...

NEW! As you can see, my blog has had a makeover. Whether we needed it or not, it was time for a change. So let me know what you think, but only if you like it, HA HA. Seriously, any feed back would be welcomed.

The Pit Of Despair!!!!

We all have our own Pit of Despair, we all have something that seems torturous, we all have something that seems like the worst thing possible in our lives, we all have something that we would rather not face...

... for me it is Chicago, IL in the winter of '09. SOOO C-O-L-D!

For the last few days it has been anywhere from -10 to -20 degrees here. The wind chill has been -35! That is like freezing on top of freezing. Or for me torture upon torture. I know that many of my readers have never left the South and are not aware of what the below zero temperatures are like. The first winter that we lived here Heath's parents had come to visit. It was 3degrees below zero and my Father in Law, needed to know what THAT felt like. He went outside with out his jacket and at first thought that it was just cold. Then the wind started to blow and he felt what 3 degrees below zero felt like! Now he lives here too and I would venture to say we both would rather not know what any degree below zero feels like. Am I right Philip?

So, if there is anyone out there, in these hard economic times, that would like to rescue my family of five from "The Pit of Despair," then just let me know and I will be sure to give you the address where you can send the plane tickets to Florida!

Not Desperado, Not Despereaux, JUST DESPERATE!

Last March I told you about our frustration with the puppy love in our house. Well, it has happened again and it seems that each time is a little different and a little more intense. Last March, I told you how we had made Juliette wear a diaper, this time she would NOT have it. She kicked and twisted and pulled at the pull up with her teeth until in just a few short minutes it was off. I could see that this would be useless to fight with her. So for the past week, we have tried really hard to keep her in her bed (which is in our room.) She did falter a few times, but she seemed to find one blanket in the house she really liked and I let her either be on that blanket or in her bed. We compromised with each other and got through the week.

Now comes the hard part. Until now, Romeo has been drawn to Juliette while she was in heat, but was either too dumb or too immature to figure out why he was drawn to her. It seems that our innocent little puppies have grown up and matured and now know the ways of the world. As soon as we caught it trying to happen the first time we immediatley seperated them, thinking that would solve it. We put Romeo in his carrier and Juliette again on her bed. Juliette has loved this idea. All she wants to do is sleep! Being a woman can be exhausting. Romeo has been our real problem.

You should see this dog when I try to put him outside. All he has to do is go to the top of the stairs and then out the door. It is like he can see nothing else, but Juliette's scent. He makes a bee line for the bedroom and then scratches at the door to get in. Meanwhile, Juliette is on the other side growling the meanest growl I have ever heard from her. I have to pick Romeo up and carry him out and not let go until he is in the fence. BIG BABY. I think the worst part is listening to Romeo cry all day long. From downstairs you can hear him all over the house with his loud, painful moans and cries. It is sad, pathetic and DESPERATE.

I sure hope that our kids dating lives are not this difficult.

Patience...

Yesterday my boys were playing and I overheard a conversation...

Karston was telling Josiah to hurry up so that he could have a turn at what Josiah was doing. Josiah told Karston to have some "Patience." Karston then complained, saying that Josiah didn't even know what the word patience means. Josiah insisted that he did know and so when it became an arguement, I stepped in. I told Karston that if he knows what the word "Patience" means then maybe he could share with all of us so that we know how to have "Patience."

Karston explained the word as this... "waiting, without complaining." I thought that was very right on and told Karston that Josiah was right he needed to have Patience in waiting for Josiah to get done.

Heath and I are always needing more patience. The world we live in has gotten so fast paced, if the computer doesn't respond within milliseconds of our command, then we need patience, if the DVR catches up to real time and our show is having a commercial break, then we need patience and if our kids are being slow as they walk from the car to the back door in -12 degree weather, then we need patience.

Even sweet little Alyssa can not escape the lessons in patience. Today she has insisted on watching a VHS tape instead of any of the other DVD's that I showed to her. When I put the VHS in the ancient VCR, the last person to watch did not rewind and the show was at the end. I stopped it and pushed the rewind button and Alyssa said "What doin' mommy?" I told her that she had to wait while the VCR rewinds the video. She immediately whined and it was evident that she needed "Patience."

Instant Gratification has become a way of life, but sometimes we must slow down and be Patient for the things we desire. Remember that God is Patient too.

A SAHM making money

I am starting something new!!!!!!!!!!!

I am now a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM,) working from home. I have a web based business that I have started and I am really excited about it! So far I have not generated many clients but that is where you come in. I need your help! I would love for you to call me so that we can talk and I can get you connected with my mentor in the business.

So, as of January 12th you can call my business line...
847 - 223-0367 or if you can't get through on that line then call my cell phone and we can talk more. If you don't call me then watch out, I just might be calling you!

Believe me you won't regret it and it might even change your life.

Sweet Home Alabama

In February of 2002, Heath and I packed up everything we owned into a moving truck, put our two year old in the front seat and prepared to leave the state where we had met, dated, married and started our little family. We were excited about the possibilities ahead of us and the adventure of living in a new state, a cold state. While we were very excited to be moving on, we knew that we also had to make the sacrifice of leaving our family behind.

We have lived in Illinois for almost 7 years now and have loved many things about being here. But just because we have loved where we are, doesn't mean we have forgotten where we came from. We try to visit our friends and family that still live there when we can. We go back and visit the church that we grew up every few years. But with it being a 16 hour drive down there from here, going back to our roots not only takes money but also vacation time.

Heath found a place where we could go home, but not have to leave the city limits of Chicago. It is called the HoundsTooth Lounge, just a few blocks from Wrigley Field. We went there last night to watch the Sugar Bowl. I will not mention the outcome of the game just the atmosphere of the place. We walked into a sea of Crimson and White. People everywhere claiming their loyalty to our State's best Football team. Even though we didn't know anyone there we knew that we had stepped into a familiar place. We quickly met a group of people from Tuscaloosa and Huntsville and they shared their table space with us. Across from us was another group of people from Gadsden that had the Alabama look and the Alabama sound. While we sat enjoying the food, the atmosphere and parts of the game, two girls walked up to us and with thick accents asked us where in Alabama we were from.

This is a hard question for me to answer. While I grew up in Birmingham (central Alabama,) I went to college in Florence (North Alabama,) and after we were married we lived on the Gulf Coast (South Alabama,) for 5 years. Between Heath and I we have family from Mobile, Prattville (Montgomery) and Opelika. When I came home from college, I got a job with AAA in their Road Service department. When people would call me from the side of the road with car trouble I had to know exactly what hwy they were on, in which town and how to get them the nearest help. That meant that I had to be familiar with the entire state. I never had a problem.

We told these girls that asked, that we grew up in Hoover and they wrinkled their noses and gave us a stare. Then they explained that they were Rebels from Vestavia (Hoover's biggest football rival.) When they asked us what year we graduated I had to explain that we went to school there before it was famous and a so BIG. They were very considerate in the way that they let us know that we are much older than them.

I was sad to leave this place that reminded me of home. But Alas we did have to go! You can be sure that we will visit our Sweet Home Alabama Lounge again, especially next football season.