Picture Posting

This is my first attempt at posting pictures or video on a blog. Let's see how I do!

The below pictures are from the highlight of the summer -- our own personal tour of the the fire station. Fireman Joe was such a good sport and gave R a tour of every inch the fire station -- and spent almost two hours with R answering his questions about the life of a fireman. Needless to say, R, our resident firefighter, was THRILLED!



Okay...I'll come back to this. Wasn't successful first try.

Update - December, 2008...picture, obviously, managed. Why did I think that was so hard?!?!

Email and Facebook and Blogging, Oh, My!

It is blowing me away these days how many ways there are to communicate without ever REALLY communicating with someone. We email instead of (or in addition to) calling or letter writing. Now, we facebook little notes instead of a honestly "respectable email." And then, here I am writing a "blog letter" to my mystery readers. Since people are only finding my blog quite by accident instead of by my invitation, I still feel pretty anonymous. Is that really a good thing?

But, I have to laugh at myself. Within the last couple of months, I became part of the Facebook community. Yes, I know, I feel it too...I am too old for such craziness. But, it is fun and many of my highschool and college friends are using Facebook as well. It has been such fun getting re-acquainted with old friends without a huge time committment. Considering the craziness of my life with a 4 year old with special needs, I need things that can be interrupted at a moment's notice!

So, I'm on Facebook. One of my friends posted a video of my son playing the guitar with her husband and "tagged" me with it so that we could watch it. (It is a REALLY cute video, by the way.) Well, her husband commented on the video, and I wanted to send him a return note thanking him for taking the time to jam with my little one. So...I tried to comment to him three different ways. You see, on facebook you can 1) comment on someone's status, 2) write on their wall, or 3) send a message viewable only by them. So...I tried, and tried, and tried. I couldn't write Matt a message at all! How could this be? Did he block me somehow? Did he limit my profile to only a few little things I could view about him? Am I not as cool as I thought I was? I know our friends, Sarah and Matt, are cute and cool 23 year olds, but...

Well, I wrote a cheeky yet breezy message to Sarah, Matt's wife, letting her know that I felt totally uncool because Matt had limited my ability to write him notes. She had the joy of returning my message with the information that......

Matt and I weren't even friends on Facebook!

........and the humiliation and embarrassment were HUGE. It never occured to me to check to see if we were facebook friends and not just real-life friends. I have laughed at myself for two days! My sweet yet honest husband informed me that I had taken six steps forward toward coolness by joining Facebook, but that I had taken four steps backwards by my blunder in front of cool 20-somethings. Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to settle for being cool in the eyes of my little one...for now!

Now to see if I can post a picture for your viewing.

Why am I doing this blog?

Why, exactly, am I doing this blog???

I think I was having a knee-jerk reaction to 1) many of my friends having blogs that are very entertaining and thought provoking, and 2) needing an outlet to vent, and 3) having something on my mind after our latest trip south.

I am, however, questioning whether or not this is a good idea.

On another note, I have settled back into the midwest rather seamlessly...if you count still wearing orange today, Friday(Go Vols!!). Orange on Fridays is the most natural thing in the world to me; I have been doing this as long as I can remember. This morning, I clothed both myself and my little one in orange without even thinking about it....but the preschool teachers and moms did notice and comment. My husband would be proud; I was more or less embarrassed. I think I'll change my shirt before I pick my son up from school today.

missing tennessee

This being my first official blog entry, I thought I would explain the title.

It's not that I'm not grateful that my sweet husband has a job...because he does have a terriffic career that is well-suited to him.

It's not that I'm not grateful for my home...because I am slowly falling in love with the house that we have been working on and remodeling for a year now.

It's not that I don't love my little corner of the world...because I wouldn't trade my roles of wife and mother for anything. I absolutely love my husband and my little four year old boy, or "my two boys."

It's not that I don't love my friends...because I am grateful for friends in the place that I live.

But...I really miss the South. I am, in truth, displaced from the South to the midwest. We have been in the midwest for four years now and I am thankful for a community of people -- anywhere I might be living. But, we were in Tennessee last week visiting family and I noticed a stark contrast in cultures. No wonder our country can't agree on issues such as politics because basic cultures are so vastly different in various regions of the country.

In the South, people would find it weird and rude if you didn't wave as they drove past while you were out for a walk. In the midwest, or at least my neighborhood, people wonder why you are waving. Same basic idea and contrast for talking in line at the grocery store or the pickup line at preschool. I miss the slow-paced relational way that the South has. I miss pleasant chit-chat throughout the day as you pass people. I miss the weather, but don't get me started about that...