I See What You Meme

I am writing this post because we are lucky. We never lost power during Irene. We had only a few tree branches come down in our yard. Our front storm door is toast (it was old) and a piece of our fence is down (it was old). Big branch that fell just beside my brother's house. Gutter is bent but all is ok. A few stray limbs fell from the trees. The storm door was flung open by the wind. It shattered in a few places and the glass is gone (still intact but fell off the door) CJ's Butterfly Bush is doing well. She grew a lot this summer. Piece of our fence fell down. One thing we'll need to replace. We are lucky and blessed.   After all the shit that has smacked our lives over the last two years, it's good to feel positive about something.  Irene was a crazy storm and many people have not been nearly so lucky.  At the moment, Roger is trolling the neighborhood with his chainsaw, trying to help others who face significant cleanup fro

What a week this is turning out to be! It started on Monday with Vance and Mark in surgery .  Both are doing well. At last report, Vance (the donor) had been released from the hospital.  Mark's body has taken the new kidney very well and he is on the road to recovery.  Thank you to everyone for the kind words and support for our family over the last few days. Of course, Tuesday saw a whole lot of shakin' going on.  The 5.9 earthquake that rocked Virginia (and much of the East Coast) seemed to cause some structural damage around the area but not a lot of injuries. As far as I know, there have been no reported deaths. All is well...for now.  While the quake was quite the jolt for all of us, I am reminded of how blessed we are when I think of those effected by the Japanese quake back in March. This was a minor inconvenience by comparison. There is no rest for the weary, though, because Irene is on her way.  There seemed to be much debate regarding the exact path of this storm o

By the time you read this, my brother-in-law, Vance, will be in surgery.  Roger's older brother is donating a kidney today to his brother-in-law, Mark (the husband of Roger's and Vance's sister, Becky). ( Did you follow all of that? ) Mark & Becky Vance  Mark has been in need of a kidney transplant for almost a year now. When the family heard the news, almost everyone offered themselves for testing and it turned out that Vance was a perfect match.  I admire Mark for his courage in the face of medical challenges. I admire Vance for his selfless act of generosity. I admire Roger's family for their endless support of one another. This is a good opportunity to remind you of some important facts about blood, tissue, and organ donation: Organ donation: People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated. Organs and

For this week's Follow Friday, I'm going to highlight a few of my favorite "mom" sites out there on the web.  You've already learned about Miss Britt .  She's still cruising up the east coast and getting ready to hit Boston in September.  One of my other favorite "mom-bloggers" is Alex at Late Enough . This talented Richmond mom is smart and funny. Her blogs are entertaining , insightful , and frequently touching . Plus we share a passion for Zombies and Angry Birds .   Her blog was one of my inspirations to start my own.   Speaking of Richmond, if you live in the Richmond area and you are a mom, you definitely need to know about RichmondMom .  Kate Hall is an amazing entrepreneur who has built a fabulous resource for all things related to parenting in the #RVA.  I recently wrote an article for her website so now you have even more reason to check it out.  Finally, check out the world of FreeAnissa. Anissa Mayhew is not just a mom blogger. She&

So my loyal fans (all 10's of you!) may have noticed that my typical Follow Friday was missing last week.  I apologize for the absence. It's been a busy week. I did want to take this time to make a big announcement, though.   ( drum roll please...) I am very excited to announce that as of this writing, I have a contract with a local company to publish my first book!  At the urging of many, I have collected my thoughts around the last two years of my life (specifically, our journey with Charlotte's cancer). The book has gone through multiple edits already but it was opted in its most recent form by Palari Publishing , a Richmond-based publishing house.   At this point, I am working with an editor on some final edits that will turn the piece into a polished work.  I'm not sure of the final publication date or even the title but I do have a deadline so I'm working like crazy in my "spare time" to get everything in order. Stay tuned! More excitement to c

Photo by Evil Erin Is it just me or has it become exceedingly difficult to get information from people these days?  Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just not asking the right questions. Maybe you can help. A few scenarios: Exhibit A I'm at the post office. I'm mailing a package. It's a framed piece of artwork. The postal worker asks the requisite question, "Is there anything fragile, perishable, hazardous, or potentially hazardous?" [side note: I think they started asking this question when they stopped asking you at the airport if you packed your own bags.] Me: Well, it's a framed picture. Is that fragile? Postal Worker: Well, you tell me. Me: Um. I guess. Sure. What difference does it make in mailing this? Postal Worker: It just means I mark it as fragile.  Me: Oh. Ok. Then, yes. I guess it's fragile. I'm not sure what you classify as fragile. Postal Worker: Well, if it can break, it's fragile.   Me: (in my mind) Well, I could b

For this week's Follow Friday, I am going to stoop to the shameless plug. I've been floating around the Internets making mischief in one way or another and I figured it was about time to tell on myself.   Firstly, I just got a writing gig on a new satirical news website called Insert Eyeroll .  There are some really funny writers on this site and I feel honored to be a part of the crew. Check out my first piece: some important advice for new parents.   I finally have an outlet for my slightly subversive side .   On a different note, my husband has nominated me for an Eagle Rare Life award and I need your help. Online voting takes place until January 2012. You can vote once a day and the top 7 vote recipients receive donations to their favorite charity. The overall winner gets to donate $20,000 and the 6 runners-up get $2000 apiece. I'm currently in the top 5 so with your help I can stay that way. Please bookmark this link and use the magic of social media to spread