My Story Is Not Over

Answers to Your Questions, Part One

2009-11-16T00:28:00.006-05:00

About two weeks ago I wrote this post and said that if there was anything left you wanted to know, email and ask me and I'd do a question and answer post. I finally got a chance to answer the majority of the questions ya'll sent me, but there will be a part two since this was getting so lengthy! I really enjoyed reading your questions and I hope I've fully answered your questions. Okay, so let's get on to it.

Does your mom read your blog?

No! She knows I have one, but that's it. She doesn't have the address and even if she did, she still wouldn't read it. I just don't think I could be really open and honest if I knew mu mom was reading. Not because I'm hiding anything from her, we speak every day, but there's something different about her reading my written words- it reminds me of all the times she read my diaries/journals in my youth (and then all the subsequent groundings). It took me almost a year of blogging before I even let many of my IRL friends know about this blog. It may sound strange, but I'm much more comfortable with strangers reading my site than people I actually know.

Is Spencer's father around or in the picture?

Um, I don't like to write about him for a variety of reasons- this blog is about our life (mine and Spencer's) and I just don't feel comfortable writing about him in a public manner. So this may have given the impression that he's not in our lives at all. But he's "around" sometimes. She usually sees him when we visit her grandparents.

What kind of camera and lenses do you have?

My camera is Canon Rebel XTi and I shoot with the lens that came with the camera and also a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens.

What photo editor do you use?

I mostly use Photoshop, but sometimes Picnik comes in handy for small fixes that are more difficult to correct in PS. When I first got my camera I bought Photoshop Elements 6 and learned on that program. For any beginners and self-teachers, I recommend that you start off with a PS Elements program rather than the full blown Creative Suite PS. It's much easier to learn on, has more automatic features, and is relatively inexpensive. I compare it to cameras- your first camera is always a point and shoot. If you like taking pictures, you learn as much as you can from that one before deciding to buy an SLR.

I used PS Elements 6 for about a year and then decided it was time for an upgrade. There was no way I could afford to buy a new PS CS4, but I found a used older version on Craigslist and became the proud owner of Photpshop CS3 for only $75. (And I made sure that it wasn't a pirated version before I bought it, it was the actual purchased program.) I really love the CS3, but if I had bought it first, I would have had no idea what was going on or what to do.

How do you financially support Spencer?

This is a long one, so prepare yourself!

With a lot of help from my parents. We live in my Mema's old house, which is now technically my mom's, so that means I don't have a rent or mortgage payment. I have Etsy and Ebay stores and make money that way. I also do some odd jobs, like photo sessions for people, pet sit, house sit, and do research work for a small newspaper. I'm lucky in that I used to have the Life of Riley and was able to accumulate a lot stuff (combined with the fact that I'm a pack rat, borderline hoarder) that was worth a fair amount of money. When I'm in a pinch I just sell of my belongings! I used to have multiple Coach, Kate Spade, and Dooney bags, plus some Guccis that I picked up in at an outlet in Italy. Now I just have one of each and none of the Gucci bags. Plus I had many ball gowns, size 4 Lilly dresses, sunglasses, and an impressive collection of watches. Most of that is all gone now, I only have one pair of shades, two formal gowns (that I will never wear again, but still can't part with), and my red D&G watch that I bought at the outlet in Italy. But don't worry, I'll never run out of things to sell, I haven't even touched my shoe, coat, or other jewelry collection! So all of that was able to give me quite a nice chunk of change, which has definitely come in handy.

I'd say that a lot of how I manage to stay fiscally afloat is due to spending sacrifices. Gone are the days of hair cuts and colors every 6 weeks, pedicures twice a month, sprees at Target and Sephora, hard back books, and going to the movie theater. I would never say that I do without, because there are certainly so many people out there that actually Do Without, but I do with a whole less than I once did! I now borrow books or buy them used, go to the thrift store, use a ton of coupons, paint my own toe nails and use hair color from a box, watch movies at someone else's house, eat Spencer's leftovers, and wear the same outfits over and over again, Basically, I used to be a Someone Else Do It For Me and I'll Pay You type of person. Now, I'm mostly a Do It Myself or Maybe Not at All type of person.

But in all honesty, it's because of my parents that I can give Spencer this life. I would never have been able to do without them. In the beginning they paid for everything regarding Spencer, from diapers, to organic food, to BPA free bottles. We lived with them for a year and I had a roof over my head, free meals, and access to all the OnDemand movies I could watch! Now, I buy everything Spencer needs and pay many of our bills, but they still pay for her very expensive health insurance and a few other things when I can't swing it all by myself. Let's just say I've racked up a pretty impressive IOU with them!

So how do I support Spencer? Frugal living, selling my worldly possessions, Etsy and Ebay, odd jobs, wise spending choices, and a lot of help from my parents.

How do you pronounce Mema and Papa?

Mee Maw and Paw Paw

I'm also a makeup junkie, Sephora loving kinda girl. What are your favorite must haves essentials?

I'm fairly certain that I could easily spend thousands of dollars in 30 minutes at my personal Mecca, Sephora. I want everything in there! But it's also quite pricey, so I never go anymore unless I'm armed with a gift certificate. For my birthday this year, both my aunt and Spencer's PGPs gave me Sephora gift cards and I got to do some shopping!

One of things I love about that store is their return policy- you can bring anything back, even if it's been used, if you don't like it and exchange it for something else. I've never actually done it, but I find it comforting to know I can, haha!

Okay, so my favorite must have essential items are: Fiberwig Mascara in black, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Blunt (but Baked is a really good summer color), NARS blush in Orgasm, MAC Fluidline Eyeliner in Blacktrack (but you can't buy MAC at Sephora), and Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash cleanser and exfoliator. Those are my have to haves, or really want to haves! I don't usually wear foundation because my skin doesn't need it all that much, but when I do wear, my favorite is Smashbox's High Definition Foundation in Fair 01. I also really like MAC's Fix Powder, but I brush it on because it can look a little heavy (which is great for bad skin days).

So that's it for round one, if I haven't gotten to your question. don't fret, I will get Part Two out very shortly!

Say Yes to the Christmas Dress

2009-11-13T12:57:00.008-05:00

These are the dresses that are in the running for Spencer's Christmas dress- the one she will wear for her annual Holiday photos and when she goes to see Santa Claus. Two of these I really like, but I put some others in there just so there was some diversity in style, etc. So, take a look-see and tell me which one(s) is/are your favorite(s). They are in no particular order.

So that's it! Let me know which ones you like and which ones you don't like! This one here below is not in the running for her Christmas Dress, but I thought it would be really cute for Christmas day, since it's not as formal. What do you think of that?

A Southern Nor'Easter

2009-11-12T17:51:00.006-05:00

We're in the middle of a huge, non-moving, perfect-esque storm. The remnants of Hurricane Ida have converged with a New England Nor'easter and are currently sitting on top of Virginia. Something about a pressure system to the north that's preventing it from moving anywhere. And let me tell you, it's pretty gross over here.

We're in the second day of heavy rain and huge gusts of wind. My front yard is flooded and I'm just waiting for the power to go out. The weatherman said that if it were a little bit colder, we'd be digging ourselves out of snow for the rest of the month! Everything is closed, the price gouging laws have gone into effect, and the Governor has declared us in a State of Emergency.

So we're basically just hunkering down here. Spencer is a wild woman, this being her second day of complete indoor isolation. It's hard to wear out a two year old when you're cooped up inside all day long. And it's not supposed to let up until Saturday, so I'm sure tomorrow is going to be really, um... special. I did make sure to get out all my candles, the big flashlight, some batteries, and I charged the battery run generator- just in case the power does out. I'm assuming it will, because the wind is howling and there are already 30,000 Richmonders without power.

To be honest, I didn't even know it was possible for a nor'easter to occur in the south- you learn something every day!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-11-11T18:11:00.003-05:00

Spencer has been going through a very verbal phase recently- she basically repeats everything she hears and is retaining about 50% of that. Which is both good and bad- good that her vocab is growing but bad that she's adding some things to it I wish she wouldn't. So here's a smattering of her current favorite phrases.

Oh. My. Go Shhhhhhh.
No No No No No. (And she always says 5 of them in a row)
It's MINE, not yours
Stop. Stay right there!
Help- I'm stuck.

and my personal favorite: "I Love You" followed by a big kiss!

Katie/Mommy

2009-11-09T18:54:00.006-05:00

When Spencer gets mad at me or wants my attention, she calls me Katie.

Katie

And every single time she says it I crack up and try to not let her see how she's charmed me. You see, I've called my mom by her first name ever since college. I still call her mom, but I use her first name frequently- which she hates. I don't do it out of disrespect, just habit. My freshman year of college, as everyone was getting to know each other, many of us started using our parents' first names when talking about them with each other. It was just easier and less confusing. And then somehow I began calling my mom her first name in front of her.

Each time I said it aloud, she would look at me and say something to the effect of one day my (then future) daughter would call me Katie and then I'd understand why she was mad at me. So of course the second Spencer called me Katie, I immediately called my mom at work to tell her all about it. I don't think she was as amused about it as I was- but did give me the obligatory chuckle, before telling me I was going to be that weird mom who let her daughter call her by her first name.

And no, I'm not going to "let" Spence call me Katie. I didn't call my mom "insert her name here" until I was 19 and I didn't do it in front of her until I was 21 or 22 and I definitely don't do it in front of my dad, because he gets VERY mad. But I can't help it, Spencer makes me laugh when she does things my mom warned me would one day happen. And of course I don't respond to her when she calls me Katie and I bury my head in the closest thing I can find, lest she see me trying to hide the upturning of my mouth and think it's a smile!

Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing at such a young age and what did you do about it?

Scenes from a Jersey Wedding

2009-11-08T17:39:00.006-05:00

Go Phillies!!

2009-11-04T20:37:00.001-05:00

I'm a rootin' for you!

Where's Katie?

2009-11-03T19:26:00.005-05:00

The last few days have been crazy busy! Saturday morning, before the sun rose, I was on the road to New Jersey for one of my very good friend's (Liz) wedding. Then I was on the road again early Sunday morning to head back home to Virginia. But before I could go home we stopped in at the PGP's for the evening. They had a little birthday celebration for me, complete with a Sephora gift card! So it wasn't until yesterday that we got home and since Day Light Savings Time is now over, Spencer is completely turned around. This morning she woke up at 6:30am, and that was sleeping in- the day before it was 5:45am. So I'm pretty tired. I don't have Spencer's Halloween pictures uploaded onto my computer yet, but they are super cute! I'm hoping to get a good night of sleep tonight and be fresh as pie tomorrow!

Show Us Your Life - Halloween Costumes

2009-10-29T19:31:00.011-04:00

Halloween costumes is this week's topic on Kelly's Korner Show Us How You Live. Spencer's only been here for two Halloweens, so I don't have too many costumes. Luckily, during my first year as a mommy I couldn't decide on what Spencer should wear, so she had four costumes. But by the time I put her in the fourth one she wasn't very pleased with me- not at all! So I only have pictures of her in the three of them.

Last year she was a Chickee Poof and she loved(s) to wear her feathery tutu, twirling around and then falling down. She wasn't a big fan of the headband, and there were some struggles to get her to keep it on. Spencer won that battle and I gave up - you can't win 'em all!

This year she's going to be a piggie, but I don't have any pictures of her in yet. Usually once I put her in an outfit there's a large probability that she'll have an encounter with something that will stain it. That's why I'm holding off on the pictures until the big day.

So here are the pictures of all her Halloween costumes, starting with the first three that were taken when she was three months old.

My little Red Hot Chili Pepper

She was still a happy camper when I put her in the Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin ensemble.

And this was when she started to get VERY annoyed with the costume changes and my incessant photo taking- she wasn't a big fan of the Moo Cow

Last year as a Chickee Poof

Twirling around and falling down- you can see the headband in her hand.

This is the only picture I have of her with it on- and of course she isn't looking at me, haha!

Just sittin' pretty, hanging out in the yard.

And that's it, I can't wait to take some pictures of her in this year's costume!

**More Show You How I Live Posts**

School Spirit Pride
Baby Gear Favorite Dessert Recipes
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

Verify Your're a Human

2009-10-27T16:10:00.004-04:00

Please use this word in a sentence!

A Day at Aquarium

2009-10-27T14:23:00.007-04:00

Two weeks ago Spencer and I went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. My college roomie, Beth, works there and she put us up for the night and the next day treated us to a lovely morning at the Aquarium. We got to her home on Tuesday evening and she had a delicious meal waiting for us! Spencer chose this night, of course, to not want to go to sleep, and she finally went to dreamland after 10pm. Then Beth and I enjoyed a yummy apple crisp she'd made from the apples she'd picked herself! What a domestic diva!

Wednesday morning we went to Tots and Tales hear a childrens group, Milkshake, sing and do fun things with all the kiddos. Spencer had such a great time- jumping around, dancing to the music, and sitting in Beth's lap - her new best friend. (See picture below) After that we walked around and saw most of the exhibits, Australia, the jelly fish, and the sharks and stingrays, before heading to the dolphin show. Oh, the dolphins, they are just so cute and human like. (Did you know that they're the only species, other than humans, who have "relations" for purposes other than procreation?) Spencer loved the dolphins, but she wanted to go down to them while they were performing. Of course this wasn't an option, so we had to step out for a for a few minutes while she had a temper tantrum. After she calmed down we went back in (to our front row seats!) and enjoyed the rest of the show.

We did a little more touring after we left the dolphin arena before going to lunch. I wish I had a picture of what happened next- Spencer squeezed out her entire yogurt on her grilled cheese sandwich... and then ate all of it! She never eats all of her food, but I guess that yogurt, cheese and bread combo was just too enticing for her :) When lunch was over we had to say our goodbyes and head back home. Spence was in desperate need of a nap and we had a four hour drive ahead of us. (Which actually turned into a six hour drive because of traffic, detours, and an accident.) I would have written about our delightful whirlwind excursion, but a few days later we were afflicted with H1N1. But I couldn't not write about our trip to the Aquarium and how it's always so great to see and hang out with my roomie. Thank you Beth for a lovely trip and for not getting frazzled when Spencer wouldn't step screaming!

Without further ado, the pictures of our journey to Baltimore.

You Have a Question, I Have an Answer and More

2009-10-25T23:26:00.000-04:00

In honor of my 28th birthday: I give you a list of the most random 28 things about me that I've never written about before. Since I think I've blogged about most aspects of my life on here, making this list was really hard, I had to dig deep for some of them, ha! Ya'll know almost everything about me, hence the randomness of the list, but I think I managed to do it!

I am very claustrophobic. It started when I was on a ride at a theme park and when it was over, both my seat and shoulder harnesses wouldn't open. There was some "mechanical difficulty" and I couldn't get out. To make matters worse, in trying to free me, the ride operators accidentally pushed down on my shoulder hardness too hard- just enough to make it click down a notch and get stuck there, and it very hard for me to breath. The whole incident only lasted around five minutes, but it was long enough to make me forever claustrophobic.
Oddly enough, I still love all roller coasters and theme park rides, I'm not afraid to ride anything. But put me in a small elevator, or a large one with a lot of people, and I break out in a sweat- mentally preparing my escape route should something happen.
In high school and college I would always wear my glasses when I wanted to be taken seriously at things like Model UN Conferences, job interviews, meetings with professors, traffic court, and whenever I had to give a speech or presentation. (It worked like a charm)
I can do a very impressive British accent. During one Model UN conference, I pretended I was from England for four entire days! My team was the UK delegation and my accent ( coupled with an extensive background story, complete with British pop culture, common idioms, and slang) gave us a huge edge over the competition. I never dropped the accent, even when we were in the hotel room, because I didn't want to get out of the habit. And let me tell you, it was HARD to stop talking that way when the conference was over. I thought my friends and family were going to kill me.
I get very car sick driving in the mountains, but nowhere else. Well, unless the person driving is an accelerate-break kind of driver, and then I'm a mess.
I've never had stitches.
Although I did have staples for my c-section, but that's it.
I'm allergic to almost every antibiotic in existence. One very bad reaction when I was a kid landed me in the hospital on IV steroids. I have to be really, really sick for the doctors to prescribe me one because they don't want me to build up an immunity to the only ones I can take.
I love to drive. Long road trips all by myself, listening to my iPod, NPR, or an audio book is how I like it.
I can still walk on my hands across a room.
I had (have) my high school's record for the sit-n-reach. I can also put both legs behind my head.
During my teenage rebellious years I pierced my own ears when my parents wouldn't let me get a second earring hole. Once I saw how much I liked the second one, I got brave and did a third and fourth one in my left ear a few months later. I eventually let those close up, but I still have the second holes. And none of them ever became infected!
I was grounded for that incident for a LOOONG time.
I met James Brown on a trip to New York while eating dessert at the Plaza Hotel. He wore a gold lamé suit and was so nice, he even took pictures with us.
I don't like ice cream. I'll eat it on some things, but I never crave it. And when I do eat it, it's only vanilla.
I would love to live a small town, with twinkle lights on the trees, and little local shops you can walk to- where there's an actual community instead of suburban sprawl. Let me know if you know where one of these towns exists, please!
I love crossword puzzles but I hate sudoku,
I know all the of the US Presidents in the order of their terms. When I can't sleep I go through them all.
If that doesn't work I name the US states and their capitals by order of their entrance into the Union. Then I do it alphabetically.
After watching two of my grandparents suffer from Alzheimer's, I'm terrified of it happening to me. That's why I do many crossword puzzles and mental activities that exercises the brain.
My favorite one to do, and the most difficult, is to turn one hand clock-wise while also turning the opposite foot counter-clockwise. So right hand turns right and left foot turns left- and then you switch them. It took me awhile to be able to do it!
I am a firm believer in high thread count sheets. They are a little costly, but they last forever and get better with age. I never buy anything less than 500, but I prefer 800. It's the one real luxury I allow myself these days.
I didn't have curly hair until I was around 8 or 9 years old. Before that it was stick straight and would NOT even hold a curl. I could sleep in rollers all night long (which I did many times) with loads of hair spray, and within two hours it would be straight again. Then it just changed, becoming a frizzy mess first, then wavy-ish, and finally curly.
And then after all those years of wanting naturally curly hair, it happened; which of course meant I wanted straight hair again. I shudder to think of all the money and hours I spent over the years on straightening products and hair straightners- trying to tame my super thick, very stubborn hair into submission, before finally embracing the curls.
I've gotten 3 speeding tickets, the last of which was my senior year of college.
But I've never successfully been convicted of speeding. I appealed my way out of one and for the other two I found legal technicalities to argue my way out it. For one of them I requested the police officer's radar calibration records and it turned out he hadn't calibrated it at the beginning of his shift. I probably wouldn't have gone to such great lengths if it weren't for the fact that my mom said she'd take me off of their car insurance if I ever got a speeding ticket on my record.
I have never found a four leaf clover.
And finally... When I first watched The Wizard of Oz (age 4) I became terrified of becoming a "dwarve," ( a dwarf, or little person) as I called it. I thought I would stop growing and be like the Munchkins. For at least a year, every night, I'd make my mom promise me that I wouldn't stop growing , that I wouldn't be like the Munchkins.

Whew, I am tired- if you made it through that list I'm pretty impressed. I've been thinking about doing a question and answer post for a long time now. So if this lengthy list of Katie Randomness didn't answer your question for/about me, please ask in the comments! I'll answer all your questions in a post later on this week. Since there are some things I just don't write about on this blog, if I don't feel comfortable with a public answer, I'll send it to you in an email. So feel free to ask all those questions you've been wanting to know :)

The Pumpkin Patch Birthday Trip

2009-10-23T23:18:00.000-04:00

Our trip to the pumpkin patch was great! The weather was a perfect, breezy 78 degrees, the sun was shining, and the crowds were nonexistent. We got there around 2pm,, about an hour before the elementary schools let out, and we had the place almost to ourselves. I'm so glad we got there then, because by the time we left it was packed and the lines were long. The only complaint I have is that Spencer (who otherwise was an angel) was in one of her "I'm NEVER going to look at the camera and smile" moods. I took about 200 pictures, most of which are of the side of Spencer's face, or her back, as she'd whip right around as soon as she saw me with the camera. But if that's all I have to complain about, then I know I;m a very lucky mommy.

The outside of the Berry Farm. This is where we get all of our pumpkins, seasonal fruits,
and our Christmas tree.

There were so many pumpkins to choose from, I had a very difficult time making my decisions. I know I'd have bought many more if I could have carried them. As it was, I thought my arms were going to fall off hauling my two large pumpkins to the hay ride wagon, up to the weighing station and then to the car. I guess that's probably a good thing though, I don't really need, or can afford, twenty pumpkins, haha!

This was just a small portion of one field that they have. Unfortunately, I'm an anthropomorpher, and I kept imagining them all saying "Pick me, Pick me!"

It really was a gorgeous day. I think God was smiling on my 28th birthday :)

On the hay ride to pick out our pumpkins. Spence LOVED it! For the rest of the day, every time we'd see one passing us, she'd yell "Truckter!" and begin running towards it.

One of the rare pictures I got of her actually looking at me. I was bummed that it turned out kinda blurry, but oh well. The hay ride was super bumpy, and it was hard to keep my camera steady and focused, even in AI Servo.

Of course Spencer went right to the biggest pumpkin she saw! She spoke to it, gave it a hug, and then had me do the same. I would've taken it with us, but it was ridiculously heavy, and I just couldn't carry it. Luckily, Spence didn't seem to mind too much.

Another "Pangkin" friend she made along the way.

On our way back from the patch and she's still refusing to look at me. But she's still so darn cute.

The bunnies were a big hit with Spencer, those and the chickens were her favorites. I couldn't get any pictures with the chickens, as I was trying to keep her from getting her hands pecked. She'd run towards them, they'd run away, and she would yell "No, No, No Chickie!" The bunnies were a different story though, they really seemed to like Spencer- running up to her and staying there while they let her pet them.

There was a toddler area for the kids and they had this barrel/wagon/train ride. That's Spencer in the red barrel car. She had so much fun on this and since it wasn't crowded, the man driving the tractor, which was pulling all the cars, took them around for almost 10 minutes!

She took her driving very seriously- this was the only time she ever looked over at us! The rest of the time she was intently steering the wheel. At first I was a little nervous that she was going to be upset out there all by herself, but I was SO wrong. I think the only reason she didn't get really upset when the ride ended was because she was about to fall asleep.

And fall asleep she did! About 2 minutes into our drive home she just passed out.

I am so thankful that everything worked out as well as it did. I was a little nervous since more than a few of our outing type adventure trips often end with both of us in tears. Somehow everything just came together in the best possible way and I couldn't have asked for a better 28th birthday. This was the second year that we went to the pumpkin patch on my birthday, and I think we'll be doing it for (hopefully) many years to come!

It's Official

2009-10-22T22:20:00.001-04:00

I am now officially 28 years old! I'm not sure if that deserves an exclamation point or not, but I'm trying to be positive here. I've been alive for 336 months and 10,220 days- which I think is pretty cool because my birthday is 10/22!

We had a really great day at the pumpkin patch, Spencer had a wonderful time, and I got some great pictures. I will get those up tomorrow, but I am worn out. After our pumpkin excursion I had to go to my 3 hour psych class that didn't get out until 9:30. But I wanted to thank everyone for the sweet birthday wishes, it means so much to me!

4 x 7 or 2 x 14

2009-10-21T20:52:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I turn 28. Spencer and I are going to the pumpkin patch with my aunt (just like we did last year) and then I have to go to class. I'm excited to get some pictures of Spencie and compare them to last year. Of course one big difference is that last year it was COLD and Spencer was in a big red winter coat and this year it's supposed to be 80 degrees! I've never picked pumpkins when it was that hot, but there's first time for everything, right? I've been working on my list and I will get those up tomorrow night.

tHere are some pictures of Spencer on my birthday last year when we are at the pumpkin patch.

She's growing up so fast! Which of course means that I'm also getting older just as fast!

How Spencer Counts to Ten

2009-10-20T20:23:00.000-04:00

When I ask Spencer to count for me she gets very serious and squints her eyes. Then her eyelashes flutter as if to say "you are really annoying me, Mom, but I'll do it anyway so you'll leave me alone." And then this is what I hear next.

One
Twooo
Fweee
Four
Fife
Ix
Seben
EIGHT, EIGHT, EIGHT!
Nine
Tinnn
Tweve!

I'm not sure why she likes the number eight so much, why she refuses to say 11, or why she stops at 12, but I think the whole thing is pretty cute!

A Little Late

2009-10-19T19:28:00.000-04:00

I am so late in posting about our wonderful trip to Baltimore. Unfortunately, I still have a little bit more to do on that post before it's ready, so this will have to do for now. On our drive up we took the "scenic" route and we passed some great photo opportunities. I could only take pictures when the car was stopped, so many of those pictures never got taken. But I did get this and it cracked me up! This was right after we crossed the Virginia border into Maryland and it was probably about 55-60 degrees outside.

Weekend Update

2009-10-18T20:41:00.000-04:00

October has always been my favorite month, it's my birthday month! As I get older though, getting another year older doesn't sound as wonderful as it used to sound. The big day is Thursday and I'll be 28.

28.

It sends shivers down my spine to say that. I have class that day and my brother has a volleyball game, so I don't think there will be any celebrating until the weekend. But I have my marathon class on Saturday, so who knows when I'll get to blow out my 28 candles.

This weekend we celebrated my brother's birthday, he turned 18 last week. He never grows tired of reminding me that I'm OLD. No matter how old he gets, I'll always be SO much older. We went to my aunt's house for dinner and spent today with her. We stayed at my parent's house this weekend, I was just still really tired and I wanted a break from being the grown up for awhile. It's nice to have a day off sometimes. Now we're back home and it's a little lonely after being around the constant buzz of a full house.

Tomorrow I need to do some laundry and house week. After a week of being sick, not much got done around here. I also need to start working on making my 28 Things to in My 28th Year list. A few things that I didn't get done last year will carry over, but does anyone have some good ideas about why I should add to my list? I'm amenable to any suggestions, except jumping out of an airplane! Sorry this was like the most boring post ever!

P.S. What were Balloon Boy's parents thinking? I'm so annoyed that I wasted all those hours watching CNN hoping he was safe. I mean, I'm definitely glad he's okay, but I'm angry that it was all a hoax planned by his father. Ugh! What is wrong with some people?

The Surviving Side

2009-10-14T17:27:00.000-04:00

Spencer and I have lived through H1N1 and we're still here, just a little worse for the wear. I pretty much slept straight through Sunday to Tuesday and I'm feeling so much better today, almost like a real human. Poor Spencer got sick on Monday, but she's recovered much faster than me. The peditirician said that's normal. I still don't feel good, but a lot better than I did!

So that's the update here, I have nothing else to write about because literally, all I've done is sleep. Hope everyone is doing well and isn't sick!

Blergh

2009-10-11T19:54:00.000-04:00

I'm sick. I don't know with what, but I have a fever, sore throat, hacking cough, etc. My mom has taken Spencer for the day/night, so I don't get her sick, but I miss her! We rarely spend the night apart, just a couple of times ever, and I'm lonely without my little girl. But I don't want her to get what I have, so I know this is for the best

I really don't know what to do with myself. I think I've only been awake for about 2 hours the entire day. Hopefully I'll feel significantly better by tomorrow so I can get my Spencie back!

Show Us Your Life - School Spirit and Sporting Traditions

2009-10-08T20:15:00.000-04:00

I think this is going to be a very interesting Show Us Your Life, since it's about our favorite sports teams, traditions, and anything else involving our school spirit - I'm interested to see what everyone says! It would seem obvious that William & Mary is my favorite, but that wouldn't be right. I'm sure it's obvious by now that I LOVE W&M and fully plan on Spencer continuing the legacy, but we're not the most athletic bunch. (Except this year, the Tribe is doing amazingly well!)

Don't get me wrong, when the Tribe plays, I'm always rootin' for them, but sports just wasn't our thing. We only had tailgates on select game days and they were very limited by the lack of available space. I didn't even go to one until two years after I graduated! How crazy!

Tribe Pride Hip Hop Style

So even though I have endless amounts of Tribe Pride, I'm really a UNC and ACC girl at heart- I've written about it before. That might seem strange too, seeing as I'm a born and bred Virginian, but it's not! My Papa was from that area and he was a huge Carolina fan as were his 11 brothers and sisters. Oh, maybe I should just preface that he was a GREAT basketball player. But in December of his senior year of high school the US officially entered WWII and he enlisted in the Navy- patriotism beat out basketball and college.

Okay, so back to UNC- my whole southern half of the family loves the Tarheels. It was a point of pride for my Papa that my mom (his only child) could always name the entire starting line up and second string every season. When I heard this I just HAD to beat my mom, so I went about memorizing every single player and their positions! My Papa laughed when I recited all of the stats to him, he thought his brothers would get a real kick out it - his only grandchild, a granddaughter, (my brother wasn't born then) knowing more about UNC basketball than all of their gazillion grandsons combined. I was a cheerleader for most of my life, cheering at varsity basketball games when I was a freshman and every other type of basketball game there was- up to 5 games a week sometimes! I learned more about "the game" in those years then you could imagine. Now I don't make myself memorize their stats, but I still always know the starting lineup and second string.

But for our family, it's not just UNC pride, it's also ACC loyalty that's important. Even though I can't stand Duke, I still root for them when they play a non-conference team. And if both teams playing aren't in the ACC, then Papa would say to support the team closest and most southern in geographical proximity, haha!

The only other "odd" caveat in our rules system is state versus private- and public schools trump private schools. Papa would say that's because the state schools represented "our people," and it was the "Yankee rich folk" who started private schools and now they were trying to do the same in the South! (Sorry to offend you Northerners! But my dad is from NJ AND went to private schools and my Papa Loved him- it's just how many people in the south tended to think back then) And while I don't exactly agree with how he arrived at his conclusion, I still agree with it, because I think private schools undermine state programs. But I'm just a fan of public education, so maybe that's clouding my opinion, haha.

So that's the heirarchy of how I go about basketball season. It's the same rules for football, but I just don't like that sport very much, so I don't have the same passion for it as I do basketball. And that's how my family does sports! Sometimes it can be hard to follow all the rules, especially when something crazy happens, like Boston College becoming part of the ACC, but I still did/do it. It's almost like a weird code/badge of honor- because above all else, we're "loyal people." (As my Papa would say!)

**More Show You How I Live Posts**

Baby Gear Favorite Dessert Recipes
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

Spencer Meets Sephora

2009-10-07T22:02:00.000-04:00

She told me she wanted to look "preedee" when I asked her why she performed an Extreme Spencer Makeover. This was about two and half hours into our four and half drive up to Baltimore yesterday. I'm still not sure how she managed to find the ONLY makeup compact that wasn't safely stowed away by me, but she did. I'm also not sure how she managed to decorate herself so thoroughly. When I saw the beginnings of this masterpiece, it was about 1/4 of what you see now. I don't like to take my eyes off the road when I'm driving Spencer, so I had to find a place to stop. By that time, about 2 minutes later, that was what I saw. And let me tell you, she was "preedee" proud of herself!

Tots & Tales

2009-10-06T10:51:00.000-04:00

This is where Spencer and I will be tomorrow.

I'm so excited for her! And well, for me too, because we get to spend the night with Bethie! We're driving up to Maryland this afternoon, so hopefully it will be a smooth car ride and she'll sleep most of the way.

Fill In & Finish Blog Hop

2009-10-06T00:29:00.000-04:00

(What's written in blue are my answers to the prompts, which are written in black.)

You just found out you have one week to live. The first person you call is (if Spencer is old enough to talk on the phone, I'd call her, but if she wasn't) my mom and say nothing that would be decipherable due to my uncontrollable sobbing. Immediately after hanging up the phone, you leave the doctors office and before heading home you go to Sara's house, my best friend, so you can have her help me decide how/what to tell Spencer and to help me make a list of all the things I really want to do.

You gather your family at home that night and say I'm sorry I don't have the rest of your lives to show you just how much I love you and how grateful I am for putting up with me all these years, (I would have a private time with Spencer and I can't/don't want to think about what I'd say to her because even typing this sentence is making me cry) then all of you together decide how to make my last week wonderful for me, but also memorable in a good way for Spence.

You book a three day trip to three different places, because you've always wanted to go to Kenya, go on a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi and return to Florence, Italy one more time. On the way back from your trip you stop off at William and Mary to give Spencer a real tour of her future alma mater, telling her all the really important things she's going to need to know because you've been meaning to for a long time.

For two more days you spend your time reading the Bible, writing letters to Spencer, and holding her in my arms every second that I can . You make sure you fix things with my mom- letting her know that I know I couldn't have had a better mother, have everything iron clad- set in stone - no way around it- loophole free- on who will and who won't be raising Spencer as her new permanent guardians and clean out my car... three things you know you should have taken care of but have been putting off.

The final day is too personal to write about but you wonder to yourself: why did I have to get a death notice before I finally did all those things this week?

The reason I'll probably keeping putting off all those things is time, every day life, money, pride, avoidance, and superstition but those things don't seem nearly as important as making sure I'm cherishing every moment with my daughter. And while I probably won't be going to Kenya anytime in the near or distant future, I will be making sure that "life" isn't getting in the way of our precious mommy-daughter time- making our moments into her memories.

Small Miracles

2009-10-04T20:38:00.000-04:00

She is a small miracle, Miss Adelaide Joy. It baffles, yet amazes me that this beautiful little girl is an actual baby and not a perfect tiny doll- she's a breathing, eating, sleeping, bathroom using, in need of all your prayers- little baby girl.

I got an update from her Dad this evening and I wanted to share it with everyone, so that it might become more real to you, so that you can see Adelaide's lovely little face when you're praying for her. To start off with- some great news- Addie was able to digest her first meal today. This is a huge victory and amazing progress!

Tomorrow, she will be receiving a PICC line. It's an IV catheter that will run up her arm, through her shoulder, and stop at the top of her heart. It will deliver the necessary fluids, nutrients and medicines, while decreasing the number of times they have to poke her delicate skin and blood vessels. Preemies have very small, almost wispy veins, so the PICC line will reduce the risk of introducing any infections into her fragile system.

A perfect little girl, just a bit too small.

These are her proud parents, Luke and Katie, who need almost as many prayers as their precious little girl. I can't imagine how heart wrenching this must be for them; I don't think Webster has defined the words that would adequately describe what a parent feels when faced with a situation like this. They're leaning heavily on their strong faith in the Lord, knowing He will see them through, but they're also afraid and so thankful for everyone who is praying for their daughter.

Please pray that Addie will continue making positive progress, for her to fight any infections that might cause further delay or regression, that everything will go smoothly with the PICC line, and for a spot to become available for them in the Quantum House- so they can be closer to their baby. Thank you so much for reading these Addie updates, not only is she Spencer's cousin, but she's also a daughter - she's her mother's daughter. I think every mom, and probably most women in general, understand the primal instinct we all have to protect the young, even when they're not our own.