Thanksgiving

Well Cody, Emma, & I were quite the little travelers this Thanksgiving.  In past years Thanksgiving has always been hectic.  My family in NC always has functions on Thursday and Friday, but then Cody's extended family usually has a Christmas Party on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  But here's the catch - they're in Richmond, VA.  That's 6 hours from my family in NC.  But we've always made the trip.  Drive south to NC for a couple days, then make the drive up to Richmond for a one night family get together.  Don't get me wrong, I love visiting with all this family.  But come Monday, we're beat.

So now we're throwing an 18 month old toddler in the mix.  (Side note, we didn't go anywhere for Thanksgiving last year because Emma was young.)  Let me tell you.  It's tough - on everyone.  Emma did decent considering all the places we dragged her and all the miles she had to spend in the car.  We tried to do all the driving either during naptime or after bedtime, so she did sleep through most of it.  By the way, the only way to travel with a toddler is with a portable DVD player.  For the stints she was awake, she was content to sit and watch her movies.  But still, all that driving, all the nights not in your own bed, all the chaotic family functions, all the totally non-childproofed homes with lots of people crammed into tiny living rooms can wear even the toughest adults down - so imagine what it does to a kid.  Emma was champ to have done as good as she did.

But it got me to thinking about the olden days - I mean like way back when, like back in horse & buggy times.  When all the family lived nearby.  When going from Roanoke to West Jefferson, back to Roanoke, then to Richmond, and then back to Roanoke (in a three day span) was unheard of.  But that's when this tradition of all the family getting together for the holidays began.  But those lucky dogs had it easy.  Over the hill and through the woods, right?  Gah, I wish.

So while I was riding in the car and wishing we were just having a quiet Thanksgiving in our own home, I decided it was time for a new tradition.  At some point you gotta draw the line and decide what we (meaning Cody & I) want for our little family.  And the new tradition is, no more road warriors.  We'll probably still go to one or the other (NC or VA), but not both in the same weekend.  Maybe we'll alternate every year, I don't know, but we will never be doing what we just did again.

With that said, I do have to admit, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without my mom's turkey & dressing, or my Aunt Jeanette's mac n cheese, or Cody's Grandma's "Dirty Santa" gift exchange.  So while this whole post has been about how hectic our Thanksgiving was, I do want to make a point that, while I was exhausted, I had a wonderful time catching up with everyone and partaking in our annual traditions.  And it was even more fun to now have Emma involved in our Thanksgiving celebrations.  Oh how I wished we all lived over the hill and through the woods from each other.  But life's just not that simple anymore and it's time for me & Cody to see the writing on the wall.  We can't be everywhere we want to be and we're going to have to miss some of our favorite holiday traditions in order to keep our sanity.  But who's to say we can't start some new traditions of our own?  After all, that's the joys of starting your own family right?

So here's to new & old traditions alike.  May you learn to live in harmony and preferably in the same state.  :)


PS - Sorry there are not more pictures.  My camera has taken a beating by my 18 month old and is no longer functional.  The one pic above is actually stolen from my mom's camera.  Guess what's on my Christmas list....

To Blog or Not to Blog?

Hello my faithful bloggers.  So you may have noticed it's been a while since I've posted.  This is because I've been in deep ponderment (is that even a word?) of the age old question - To Blog or Not to Blog?  A dear person to me made some observations concerning the vulnerability of posting your thoughts/feelings out there for anyone and everyone to see.  First there is the safety issue that some creepy person could find my teeny tiny blog in the midst of the gazillion-gabillion blogs out there, and decide to find us and want to... well let's not go there...  Plus there is the idea that thoughts/feelings are personal and if you need to express them, perhaps you're better off writing them down in a journal where they'll remain private and there's no chance of offending anyone.  So I've been rattling all this around in my head.  I see the safety issue.  I mean I really have no way of filtering who can view this.  So yes, I might become a little more guarded with the details as to not give away too much.  But aren't I just as likely to be followed home by some creepy person from the grocery store?  There are a million ways to look at this, but the fact of the matter is, sometimes you just have to ignore the "what-ifs" and do what makes you happy.  And the issue of publicly expressing opinions, well, I first want to apologize for my Election Day post.  Re-reading it I think I may have gotten a little carried away and my language was a little harsh, so my apologies if I made anyone blush.  But there's also this thought that blogging is just too self-indulgent.  Like just sitting here typing out what's going on in my life and what's going on in my head (and then expecting you all to take the time to read it) is too selfish.  That I should have better things to do right now.  Well, right now my daughter is napping, so I can't go anywhere.  The house could probably use some cleaning, but well hell, that's always the case.  I can't go making a bunch of noise, cause that'll just wake her up and then she'll be grumpy the rest the day and nobody wants that.  So why don't I just write down all these thoughts/opinions in a journal and not publish them out there in the big wide world of cyberspace?  Well, I'm not really worried about trying to create some hugely popular blog and I'm also not really trying to push it on people and making sure everyone knows every single aspect of my life and then what's my take on it.  I just feel like throwing my thoughts out in the wind and kinda hoping someone picks them up and might take a step back and think "Well you know, she's gotta good point there."  Not only is blogging a way of collecting my own thoughts but also a way to stimulate discussion.  And I love discussion, but when you're stranded with a napping baby, there's not too many folks to get chatty with.  Has anyone seen the documentary Babies?  It basically follows around four babies that are from all different parts of the world.  The one in particular I found most interesting was a baby from an African tribe, but more specifically, the mothers in the tribe.  They all sat together and just chit-chatted for most of the day it seemed.  They had no other job than to care for their children, but they all did it together.  Maybe that's why internet has become so popular, we are all searching for that human connection we lost with the modern convenience of having a private home.  Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy my private home.  But to revert back to my original question - To Blog or Not to Blog? - my answer is yes, I will continue to blog because it is my outlet, my enjoyment.  While I may be a little more reserved and cautious with what details I reveal, I'm enjoying having a world where I can stand up and say what I think, even if no one is listening.  Because then it has been released and is no longer festering inside my noggin.  So with that my friends, there's no need to panic, because there will be lots, lots more blogging to come.

Hello November

There's a theme going around.  Thankfulness.  I love it.  It's almost as if summer was one long day of fun and now we're all rehashing the adventures of the day.  Like Halloween was the last big hooray before our mamas called us inside for supper.

We'll eat our big meal at Thanksgiving, say our prayers at Christmas, then hibernate till those first flower buds pop up in March.  That's right my friends, it's time to curl up on the couch for some quality cuddle time and rest until the next warm day arrives.
Oh if only it were that simple.  I know come mid-January/Febuary I'll start getting stir crazy and want to get out of the house.  Almost as if you've woken up at 3:00am and can't go back to sleep.  But here's hoping this winter will be better.  Now Emma can actually go play in the snow instead of just looking like a big blob in all her warm clothes.

So while everyone is being thankful, which I am as well, I am also preparing myself for what lies ahead this winter.  Last year I was so miserable, a new baby in the house and two foot of snow on the ground would drive anyone crazy.  So I'm planning projects I can do to keep my mind busy.  This year I've got my job so that'll force me to get & about.  But as the first snow fell in Ashe (my hometown) this week, I say hello to November and hello to Ole Man Winter.  Come what may, this year you will not get the best of me.

Election Day

So today was Election Day.  I had every intention of going and voting, but you know what happened?  I went shopping instead.  Well, I meant to go by after that quick trip to Target, but that took a little longer than expected, plus I had Emma with me and I didn't want to wait around with her on my heels, etc, etc, excuses, excuses.  Tonight I turned on the tv and all over the news was how VA is the "swing state" and there was red, red, red everywhere.
My stomach dropped.  Holy hell, what have I done?  My one vote could have turned the whole state blue.
No, my one vote wouldn't have changed a thing.  But I hate myself for not voting because I know when I want to complain about "The Government" (I love how people refer to "The Government" like it's one single person), I won't have a leg to stand on b/c I didn't bother to cast my vote.  Like that trip to Target was more important?
Let's be honest here, I didn't care.  I care about my country, I care about supporting the troops, I care about giving to those in need, but what I don't care about is politics.  To me it's the biggest crock of bull malarkey.  Let's find some MAN (notice I say man), who atleast looks clean cut and honest and plaster his picture everywhere and string him along like a little puppet.  That's a politician for you.  Meanwhile, behind closed doors, he's having sex-capades with the intern, and his posy (i.e. the big money that plucked his pretty face out of obscurity in order to do their bidding) is the ones actually out getting the work done.
Ok, back to being positive.  I get the idea our founding fathers had.  You must have the back and forth banter from both sides when you're making decisions that effect everyone.  We need to examine both sides of the issue.  That's why we need Dem/Rep/Whatev parties, I get that.  But what I can't stand is how people aren't thinking for themselves anymore.  Why are you a Dem/Rep/Whatev?  Is it because your daddy was, and your daddy before him was too?  Because if it is, then you're dumb.  You've got a brain, think for yourself you idiot.
Yes, as you've probably guessed, I am a Democrat.  But that doesn't mean I automatically disagree with all Republicans (except for Sarah Palin, the thought of her in the White House simply scares the crap out of me).  That also doesn't mean that I agree 100%, beyond a shadow of a doubt, with the Democratic Party.  I'm not even going to divulge my opinions on the "issues", because that's not what this is about.
It's about being brave enough to stand up for what you believe in.  And there's not a politician out there who seems to be doing that.  All those damn commercials drove me insane.  Not a one said, "Hi, I'm So-&-So and here's what I believe we should be doing."  All of them were about let's point a finger at the other guy and scare you into thinking he's horrible.  Folks, we're better than that.  Let's be grown-ups here and let's talk about real issues, real people.  And, don't bull shit a bull shitter.  Stop blowing smoke up my hiney to get my vote and be real with me.  And stop blindly following your party.  You show me someone who is passionate about their country, compassionate for their neighbor, opened to listening to their opponent, honesty, integrity, morality, all of those courageous qualities, and I'll take the time to skip my precious Target trip and give you my vote.  I don't care your party, your race, your gender, or your religion.  What I care about is your character.  And none of them showed me that.  Ok, maybe I didn't look hard enough, but after all the nasty campaigning, I didn't care to look, I'd already made up my mind.  None of them deserved my vote.


Boy, I've got alot of opinions for a jackass who didn't vote don't I?

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A shout out to my right brain

So can I just say how freakin excited I am to start this blog.  My life has been nothing but a whirlwind since well, 2005.  That was graduation from college and then the real world knocked me on my a$$.  It was move to Birmingham, not find a job and realize my degree will get me no where.  Then move to Roanoke, get a job and work crazy long hours.  Then work my tail off getting my Masters.  And that was just the warm up for what happened next.  A baby happened and it turned everything upside down.

Anyways, but I feel like life is starting to just flow now.  I've got this wonderful child who is starting to have the BEST personality.  She honestly cracks me up all the time.

And I've got a part-time job that keeps me busy.  It's not the best job, but it pays decent and it keeps my mind occupied with some "grown up" things.  So that brings me to the point of this post.  Right brain vs left brain.

What I was getting at with all that rambling was my life has been nothing but left brain thinking for the past few years.  Logical, rational, analytical.  All work, no play.  But now life is starting to get a little simpler.  I've got time to sit down and type a meaningless blog (sorry I know this post isn't the best).  I've got time to read books, and not for school or work or how to calm colicy babies, but just for fun!  I've got time to explore my right brain thinking.  And I'm super excited about this.  Art projects, home remodeling, just basically anything I want to do.  No more sacrificing for work, school, whatev.  It's time to discover who Martha IS, not who is Martha going to be.  It's time to just endulge in life.

A Blog is Born

I remember graduating from high school and my aunts gave me the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the places you'll go!.  I skimmed through it and thought it was cute.  I think I tucked it away on a shelf and haven't touched it since.  But here I am, 10 years down the road, remembering that book and that day.  So young and naive.  So many paths I could take, so many things I wanted to do, to accomplish.  So many plans I already had for my life!

"You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."
So did I accomplish everything I wanted to do?  Ehhh, hit or missed some.  Did I take the path I always imagined?  Not exactly...  But when I look at my daughter, watch her play with her father - the husband I choose - I know I did something right.  That was one path that I followed that got me where I wanted to to go.  A wonderful husband, check.  A loving father, check.  A beautiful daughter, check.  Simple as that right?

"But on you will go though the weather be foul.  On you will go though your enemies prowl.  On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl.  Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak."
 So a Blog is Born!  To remember the places I've been, and to plan/predict/over analyze (as I tend to do) the places I will go.  Because life is too short not to savor the flavors.  And what better way to muse over life's predicaments than through a blog, after all, that's what all the cool kids are doing right?

"You're off to Great Places!  Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting.  So...get on your way!"

 

Here goes nothing...