A friend of mine sent me a fun little quiz today, so I decided to answer via this blog. Feel free to add your answers to your own blog, but please let me know if you do. I want to read your answers as well.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope. As the story goes, I was supposed to be named Rachel, but about 3 days before I was born another family at our church had a little girl and named her Rachel, so my parents chose Melanie.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Feb or March of this year. Ian had his first big fall -- Update: Answering question 17 made me shed a tear.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? uh, sure
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Are you kidding me? Have you read any part of this blog?! (yes, I have a kid)
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes. I rock
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Refer to answer 5
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Nah. I'm more interested in skydiving
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Honey Nut Crunch
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Caramel Turtle Fudge - Blue Bell
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyebrows. Weird, I know.
15. RED OR PINK? Neither. It's all about blue and purple
16. WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE LEAST ABOUT YOURSELF? Nothing. I may not be what society perceives as perfection, but I'm exactly the person I need to be, at this moment in time, and at this stage in my life. That will always be true.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Preston and Paula - May you both rest in peace
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? NA
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Gotcha! I'm wearing a skirt (blue jean), and the shoes are brown leather sandals
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A fish sandwich
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My boss talking to my co-workers
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Violet
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Vanilla, Newborns, New Car smell, Chocolate
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mother
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yep, she's swell :)
26. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Pro Basketball
27. HAIR COLOR? Brown
28. EYE COLOR? Brown
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I'm supposed to. I wear glasses when I drive though
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Not nearly enough time to address this question
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Sicko
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Blue
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Only one? Hmm...Probably peach cobbler
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? NA
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? NA
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSEPAD? Dell
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? I didn't watch an entire T.V show last night. I saw a little bit of Good Eats and Family Guy
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Laughter
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither. Well, do you count The Grey Album?
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Jamaica
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Living life
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Texas
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
We went swimming...Well, kinda
This past weekend, we packed up the little one and headed to Dan's hometown. The occasion was a surprise birthday party for my mother-in-law, and it was a lot of fun. It appears that Dan's mom was genuinely surprised, and the party went well. It was a good time to let her know just how special, loved, talented, giving, and inspirational she is, and I think she appreciated it.
Over the weekend, we also decided to take Ian "swimming" for the first time. I put swimming in quotation marks, because what we really did was turn down the temperature in my father-in-law's hot tub, put on our swimming trunks/suits and splashed around in the water. Ian seemed to enjoy himself though, and that's all that matters.
Here are a few pics
Over the weekend, we also decided to take Ian "swimming" for the first time. I put swimming in quotation marks, because what we really did was turn down the temperature in my father-in-law's hot tub, put on our swimming trunks/suits and splashed around in the water. Ian seemed to enjoy himself though, and that's all that matters.
Here are a few pics
Monday, July 14, 2008
Charismatic Church Movement...Who's with me?!
Listen up people 'cause I have something to say. I have an idea, but I'm going to need some help to carry it out.
I am here to propse that we, those who attempt to attend church on a regular basis, begin what I've lovingly named, the charismatic church movement (which from here on out will be referred to as CCM). What is a CCM? I'm glad you asked. CCM is a movement to turn our quiet, reserved, prim and proper traditional churches, into band blaring, hand clapping, praise dancing churches. That's right, I want drums so loud, that you can feel the rhythm in your chest. I want shouts of praise from everyone in attendance. I want preaching so boisterous and extravagant, you can't hear anything else, and do you want to know why I want all these things? Hmm, do ya? Well, I'll tell you.
I'm heading up the CCM so that you, the quiet churchgoer, will be so inundated with noise, you won't even notice the giggling, squealing, crawling, jumping, and yelling, that my 15 month old son is doing.
Now I know it sounds like I want this for purely selfish reasons, but I assure you this isn't the case. I don't want this just for my benefit, I want this for all the parents out there. I'm willing to bet that most parents that have children under the age of 3 (please God, tell me it gets better as they get older) would appreciate this. Just think of this as my act of Christian service.
Oh, and for you parents with your 3 month old infant that naps so sweetly and quietly during church. I see the looks you give me as I carry Ian out of the sanctuary with his legs flailing as he screams "GA GA GA WRAAAAAA". I don't judge you though. No, I just take comfort in the fact that in about 6 months, you will join the rest of us packing sippy cups, juice, snacks, books, toys, tranquilizers, and anything else that will keep your kid quiet for an entire church service.
Yes, I look forward to it, because on that day, we can stand together before God and everyone else, and loudly proclaim "CCM Parents Unite!!!!"
I am here to propse that we, those who attempt to attend church on a regular basis, begin what I've lovingly named, the charismatic church movement (which from here on out will be referred to as CCM). What is a CCM? I'm glad you asked. CCM is a movement to turn our quiet, reserved, prim and proper traditional churches, into band blaring, hand clapping, praise dancing churches. That's right, I want drums so loud, that you can feel the rhythm in your chest. I want shouts of praise from everyone in attendance. I want preaching so boisterous and extravagant, you can't hear anything else, and do you want to know why I want all these things? Hmm, do ya? Well, I'll tell you.
I'm heading up the CCM so that you, the quiet churchgoer, will be so inundated with noise, you won't even notice the giggling, squealing, crawling, jumping, and yelling, that my 15 month old son is doing.
Now I know it sounds like I want this for purely selfish reasons, but I assure you this isn't the case. I don't want this just for my benefit, I want this for all the parents out there. I'm willing to bet that most parents that have children under the age of 3 (please God, tell me it gets better as they get older) would appreciate this. Just think of this as my act of Christian service.
Oh, and for you parents with your 3 month old infant that naps so sweetly and quietly during church. I see the looks you give me as I carry Ian out of the sanctuary with his legs flailing as he screams "GA GA GA WRAAAAAA". I don't judge you though. No, I just take comfort in the fact that in about 6 months, you will join the rest of us packing sippy cups, juice, snacks, books, toys, tranquilizers, and anything else that will keep your kid quiet for an entire church service.
Yes, I look forward to it, because on that day, we can stand together before God and everyone else, and loudly proclaim "CCM Parents Unite!!!!"
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A year ago today...
On the afternoon of July 10, 2007, Dan and I brought Ian home for the very first time. After a 100+ day stay in the NICU, Ian was finally able to see his room for the first time. It is so amazing to think that an entire year has passed. I still remember all the emotions that were running through me that day. Excitement, fear, worry; and oh my, all the questions I had. How would we be able to keep up with Ian's medication schedule? Did I remember how to work the oxygen tank/concentrator, the apnea monitor, and the nebulizer for breathing treatments? How would I ever be able to sleep without fear of the apnea monitor going off? 
But now, here we are a year removed, and Ian is healthy, happy, strong, and all is right with the world. It's also interesting to note that on today, the anniversary of Ian's homecoming, we also celebrate the fact that Ian is officially med free! That's right, this morning Ian took the final dose of his very last medication. Hurray!In light of Ian's homecoming anniversary, and the end of his medications, we decided to celebrate. Nothing big, just the three of us, hanging out, eating spaghetti, and for dessert we decided to get some pie (yum!). I guess I passed down my love of chocolate, because Ian inhaled the chocolate cream pie. It's cute now, but we may have to nip this in the bud. There can't be two chocolate lovers in the house. It could make for some ugly fights when it gets down to the last piece of chocolate.
Anyway, all in all, it was a good day. I got to hang out with my men, eat some good food, and reflect on the past year. Yep, it was a good day indeed.
What a difference a year makes!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
How do you rate as a husband/wife of the 1930s?
I thought this was funny little quiz. Take the test yourself, if you dare.
I barely made the threshold for an average 1930's housewife. Wow! That's better than I expected. I must be having a good week
Ok, I'm off to go see what the heck it means to "darn a sock."
I barely made the threshold for an average 1930's housewife. Wow! That's better than I expected. I must be having a good week
Ok, I'm off to go see what the heck it means to "darn a sock."
 | 44 As a 1930s wife, I am |
Scoring:
0-24 - Very Poor (Failure)
25-41 - Poor
42-58 - Average
59-75 - Superior
76+ - Very Superior
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
If only it were that simple
I was listening to a talk radio show today, and the host was discussing the latest Don Imus mishap. The host stated that it is often very difficult to discuss racial issues in the media. He identified himself as a 44 year old, White male, and it was his opinion that the moment anyone in the media says something pertaining to race, it can be easily misconstrued, and once that happens the public automatically labels you as a racist. As I was listening and thinking about the points that he was making, he said something that really grabbed my attention. He made the comment, "Any rational person that knows about slavery, realizes how horrible it was, but I'd like to think that we are at a point where we are moving past slavery." *
I sighed aloud, gave Dan a mini-rant about how that statement was short sighted, and silently vowed to turn this into a blog post. So here we go...
The history of U.S. slavery is a painful one. African men, women, and children were abducted from their homes, and forced to move halfway around the world to be used as unpaid servants. These people were auctioned off as cattle or some other type of livestock. Their families were torn apart, mothers and fathers were separated from their children, and wives were separated from their husbands. Slaves were regularly beaten as motivation to work harder, killed for sport, and the women were raped at the master's whim. If women had children in those days, they had no rights to them at all. They were property of the slave owner. These people were robbed of their religion, their culture, they were even robbed of their names (Slaves were often given the last name of their owners. As a result, today, most Black Americans whose ancestry lies in U.S slavery, still retain the surname of their ancestors slave owners).
As if the physical abuse wasn't enough, there was a good amount of mental and emotional abuse that slaves had to endure.
Slaves were consistently told they were ugly, stupid, unworthy of respect, and didn't deserve the same rights as others simply because of their appearance; because of the color of their skin, or the kinkiness in their hair. They were told that they were evil. To sum it all up, Black was bad, White was good, and that's just the way it was. This belief system was regarded as truth by adults, and they in turn taught it to their children. When those children grew up and had children of their own, those very same beliefs were passed down, and the cycle went on and on. Now while the slave owners were instilling these values in their own children, they were also relaying this same information to the slaves themselves, and you know what? The slaves internalized it, and although I don't believe it was intentional, they passed this same belief down to their own children. So what did all of this produce you ask? It produced a nation of both Black and White people that believed that the color of their skin determined their worth. It produced a perception among African-Americans that they were their own worst enemy, and all of this, every bit of it, was based on lies.
Now, U.S. Slavery lasted for over 200 years. Not, 5 years, not 10 years, but 246 years. If we say each generation is about 20 years, slavery lasted for about 12 generations.
After more than two centuries of bondage, slavery became illegal in 1865. The slaves were freed without a dime to their name, but they were freed nonetheless.
But there was a problem. While slavery became illegal in 1865, the legal ramifications of slavery didn't quite end until 1964ish (ie. Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965) That's basically another 5 generations (1865-1964). And if you notice I said legal ramifications, not social ramifications. Although there were laws on the books that said Blacks were equal, society didn't always agree. If you question whether or not racism was socially acceptable after the Civil Rights Movement, all you need to do is read about the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, which lasted until the early 70's, to realize racism still existed at that time.
Now I'm sure a lot of you reading, know the history of slavery in the U.S., but I wrote that very abbreviated version of it to say this:
What you see today, in 2008, is the product of 17 generations of struggle, pain, intolerance, fear, hate, and disrespect, with a side of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
To even imply that what had been built, nurtured, and sustained over 17 generations, can and has been eradicated in 2 generations (1965-2008) is downright insulting. Are we as a nation making strides and moving in the right direction? Without a doubt, the answer to that question is an emphatic yes. But to say that slavery and racism are not relevant to our present day society is foolishness, in my opinion.
* Since I didn't record the talk radio show I can't confirm what I typed was a word for word quote, but that was the sentiment expressed.
I sighed aloud, gave Dan a mini-rant about how that statement was short sighted, and silently vowed to turn this into a blog post. So here we go...
The history of U.S. slavery is a painful one. African men, women, and children were abducted from their homes, and forced to move halfway around the world to be used as unpaid servants. These people were auctioned off as cattle or some other type of livestock. Their families were torn apart, mothers and fathers were separated from their children, and wives were separated from their husbands. Slaves were regularly beaten as motivation to work harder, killed for sport, and the women were raped at the master's whim. If women had children in those days, they had no rights to them at all. They were property of the slave owner. These people were robbed of their religion, their culture, they were even robbed of their names (Slaves were often given the last name of their owners. As a result, today, most Black Americans whose ancestry lies in U.S slavery, still retain the surname of their ancestors slave owners).
As if the physical abuse wasn't enough, there was a good amount of mental and emotional abuse that slaves had to endure.
Slaves were consistently told they were ugly, stupid, unworthy of respect, and didn't deserve the same rights as others simply because of their appearance; because of the color of their skin, or the kinkiness in their hair. They were told that they were evil. To sum it all up, Black was bad, White was good, and that's just the way it was. This belief system was regarded as truth by adults, and they in turn taught it to their children. When those children grew up and had children of their own, those very same beliefs were passed down, and the cycle went on and on. Now while the slave owners were instilling these values in their own children, they were also relaying this same information to the slaves themselves, and you know what? The slaves internalized it, and although I don't believe it was intentional, they passed this same belief down to their own children. So what did all of this produce you ask? It produced a nation of both Black and White people that believed that the color of their skin determined their worth. It produced a perception among African-Americans that they were their own worst enemy, and all of this, every bit of it, was based on lies.
Now, U.S. Slavery lasted for over 200 years. Not, 5 years, not 10 years, but 246 years. If we say each generation is about 20 years, slavery lasted for about 12 generations.
After more than two centuries of bondage, slavery became illegal in 1865. The slaves were freed without a dime to their name, but they were freed nonetheless.
But there was a problem. While slavery became illegal in 1865, the legal ramifications of slavery didn't quite end until 1964ish (ie. Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965) That's basically another 5 generations (1865-1964). And if you notice I said legal ramifications, not social ramifications. Although there were laws on the books that said Blacks were equal, society didn't always agree. If you question whether or not racism was socially acceptable after the Civil Rights Movement, all you need to do is read about the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, which lasted until the early 70's, to realize racism still existed at that time.
Now I'm sure a lot of you reading, know the history of slavery in the U.S., but I wrote that very abbreviated version of it to say this:
What you see today, in 2008, is the product of 17 generations of struggle, pain, intolerance, fear, hate, and disrespect, with a side of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
To even imply that what had been built, nurtured, and sustained over 17 generations, can and has been eradicated in 2 generations (1965-2008) is downright insulting. Are we as a nation making strides and moving in the right direction? Without a doubt, the answer to that question is an emphatic yes. But to say that slavery and racism are not relevant to our present day society is foolishness, in my opinion.
* Since I didn't record the talk radio show I can't confirm what I typed was a word for word quote, but that was the sentiment expressed.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Loss of Innocence
Reminisce with me for a moment, will you?
Let's go back in time, way back. Back to when storks delivered babies and little people lived inside the television. Back to a time where Santa Claus was real and the Tooth Fairy left money under your pillow. Yes, lets go back...
Let's go to a time of youth; a time of innocence. Ah yes, the good ol' days.
Remember how much fun it was to play outside for hours on end? Or how thrilled you were when your parents bought a new toy for you?
Speaking of toys, do you see this toy below? This is one of Ian's favorite toys.
He will crawl up to the basketball goal, grab one of the toy basketballs, and DUNK IT! The little scoreboard section lights up, and it plays a little song and there is even fake crowd/applause sounds. It's pretty cool.
Now Ian doesn't know about batteries, or the fact that there is a little lever that trips whenever the ball goes through the goal to signal the music/scoreboard. All he knows is that if he can manage to put that ball through the circle, the baby party will begin.
One morning as I was preparing Ian's bottle, I heard him grab the toy basketball. Just a few moments later, I heard "dun dun na naaaaaaa" (that's the best I can do to imitate the initial sound played when a basket is made. use your imagination).
Me: "Whoo hoo!! Way to go Ian! Yeah!!"
As I continued in the kitchen, I noticed that Ian was silent for a little bit. Just when I was about to check to make sure he didn't get into something he shouldn't have, I heard "dun dun na naaaaaaa".
Me again: "Yippee, Pooh. You made another one." <dun dun na naaaaaaa> "Alright Ian, you're on a ro...." <dun dun na naaaaaaa> "Wow, you're getting really goo..." <dun dun na naaaaaaa>
As you can imagine, by this time I'm eagerly heading towards the living room to see my baby Shaq perform. Busy with visions of NBA drafts, early retirement, and season tickets for my favorite NBA team (the one Ian would be playing for of course), it never dawned on me that while I had been hearing the music to signal a basket had been made, I had not been hearing the basketball go through the hoop.
Yep, that's right. When I got to the living room, this is what I saw.
If you notice, Ian doesn't have a basketball in his hand. Nope, they are both safe and sound. He did figure out that it wasn't the ball going through the hoop that started the fun, it was the lever.
Ah, they grow up so fast :)
Let's go back in time, way back. Back to when storks delivered babies and little people lived inside the television. Back to a time where Santa Claus was real and the Tooth Fairy left money under your pillow. Yes, lets go back...
Let's go to a time of youth; a time of innocence. Ah yes, the good ol' days.
Remember how much fun it was to play outside for hours on end? Or how thrilled you were when your parents bought a new toy for you?
Speaking of toys, do you see this toy below? This is one of Ian's favorite toys.
He will crawl up to the basketball goal, grab one of the toy basketballs, and DUNK IT! The little scoreboard section lights up, and it plays a little song and there is even fake crowd/applause sounds. It's pretty cool.
Now Ian doesn't know about batteries, or the fact that there is a little lever that trips whenever the ball goes through the goal to signal the music/scoreboard. All he knows is that if he can manage to put that ball through the circle, the baby party will begin.
One morning as I was preparing Ian's bottle, I heard him grab the toy basketball. Just a few moments later, I heard "dun dun na naaaaaaa" (that's the best I can do to imitate the initial sound played when a basket is made. use your imagination).
Me: "Whoo hoo!! Way to go Ian! Yeah!!"
As I continued in the kitchen, I noticed that Ian was silent for a little bit. Just when I was about to check to make sure he didn't get into something he shouldn't have, I heard "dun dun na naaaaaaa".
Me again: "Yippee, Pooh. You made another one." <dun dun na naaaaaaa> "Alright Ian, you're on a ro...." <dun dun na naaaaaaa> "Wow, you're getting really goo..." <dun dun na naaaaaaa>
As you can imagine, by this time I'm eagerly heading towards the living room to see my baby Shaq perform. Busy with visions of NBA drafts, early retirement, and season tickets for my favorite NBA team (the one Ian would be playing for of course), it never dawned on me that while I had been hearing the music to signal a basket had been made, I had not been hearing the basketball go through the hoop.
Yep, that's right. When I got to the living room, this is what I saw.
If you notice, Ian doesn't have a basketball in his hand. Nope, they are both safe and sound. He did figure out that it wasn't the ball going through the hoop that started the fun, it was the lever.
Ah, they grow up so fast :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
