Tuesday, June 23, 2009

MySpace Migrated Blog #5

Originally posted to Myspace on February 06, 2008

This is a copy of an email I sent to everyone at work about being out on Wednesday. I'm too lazy to edit it, so here you go:
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I am going to be out all day on Wednesday, but I wanted to touch base and let everyone know that as of right now, everything is okay. I'm sure by the time some of you get this email, you'll have heard that tornadoes touched down in the area of my hometown in Macon County, TN. As of the time I am writing this email, no one in my family is injured, but we are still working on reaching a few of them. Cell phones and home phones are out in a lot of the county, so a couple of family members are out in their vehicles checking on the friends and family we've not been able to reach by phone.

It's all quite surreal to me right now. I know the natural gas plant that exploded very well. As a young child, it was so exciting to me to be riding down Hwy 141 and see that intricate silver building with all of the lights on it nestled back between the hills. It was quite possibly the most fascinating thing in the Macon County area in the mid-80s. I can't imagine it not being there. My mom lives about 12 miles from the gas plant and she can feel the heat and flames from the fire and hear the roar of the flames.

Lafayette is a different story. Power lines are down all over the place, entire houses are gone, and the last I heard, two police officers were missing. My sister's 17-year-old boyfriend was trying to get to his mother's house to check on her and could not make it down the road because of all of the downed trees and power lines. While trying to get to his mother's house, he came across a house that collapsed and trapped a woman underneath the rubble. He couldn't get her out. I can't imagine being 17, running across a scene like that, and not being able to help. We have not found out the condition of the woman, but we do know at least 15 people have had to be rescued and one is critical. As of now, there are no fatalities.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best for everyone I know. I will try to keep people updated through the next few days.

MySpace Migrated Blog #4

Originally posted to MySpace on April 18, 2007


I opened up the newschannel5.com website today and a headline made certain memories come flooding back: Shooting Reminiscent Of Paducah Incident.
As I clicked the link to open the story, one thought accompanied the tears that welled up in my eyes: "I miss this kid."


Kayce Steger was one of the most down-to-earth kids I knew. We rode the bus together when I attended Heath High School during the mid-90s and I thought the world of her - I still think the world of her. I remember her getting so excited when she talked about the Junior Deputy camps she attended and talked about becoming a police officer when she finished school. It's hard to believe it's been so long and I wish I had kept in touch after I left Paducah, but certain situations made that impossible. I'm sorry for that. Kayce, I love you, gal.
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Kayce isn't the only one I am thinking of today. My little brother, Johnnie Ray, would have been 19 today. Wow. It's been almost six years since we lost both he and my other brother, Jedidiah, and not a day goes by that I don't think of them. I miss "The Boys". It's funny how I find myself thinking of them in relation to the most random things:
Would The Boys like my choice of a husband?
How would The Boys handle being uncles?
Who would The Boys have taken to Prom?
Where would The Boys have gone to college?
What would their voices sound like now? :)
There's nothing in the world like brothers. If you have them, I hope you know what I mean. If you don't, I hope you step back and take a few minutes to realize what you have. I love my little sister, Hope, dearly and would do anything for her, but there's definately something to be said about the security and humor involved with having brothers. I love you guys.


MySpace Migrated Blog #3

Originally posted to MySpace on February 22, 2007

I really should get better about posting these things, but I never can seem to get the inspiration. And even when I do get the inspiration, who says anyone will read what I type? :)

Today's Inspiration:
It drives me up the wall to see the behaviors of some children in today's world - and I blame the parents. What happened to parenting by setting rules and making your children follow them? With an alarmingly large number of parents, it is no longer the societal norm to "be a parent". Too many of today's parents spend their time trying to be their child's friend, trying to make sure their kids are having fun, and even worse, making sure their kids think they are cool. What these parents do not realize is they are setting their children up for failure, and it will be the fault of the parents.

Children need structure. Children need rules. Children need boundaries. Children need responsibilty. Children need repercussions.

I am thankful every day for my normal, well-adjusted, well-behaved, mannerful children who have great grades and attendance. I set rules for my children and both of them have a daily routine. They know when they are expected to get out of bed, eat meals, take showers, and go to bed. They know if they step out-of-bounds with their behavior, there will be consequences. My children know the only person they can blame for their behaviors and punishments is themselves and they do not blame others. Where are the rest of the children like mine.

Those of you who do no have contact with "today's children" on a daily basis probably do not have a complete understanding of what I am writing about, so I'll give a brief summary. ~I am a middle school secretary.~ On a daily basis, I see children come in to the office, in trouble, blaming everyone except themselves for their behavior: "That teacher doesn't like me. The teacher is picking on me. SuzyQ told me to do it. My mama ain't gonna do nothin'." Daily. I hear these daily. When the parents are called, do you know what a frighteningly large number of them say? "Stop picking on my child." Yes, that's right. Because we set rules and boundaries for their children and because we have consequences when those rules and boundaries are not followed, we are "picking" on their child. These are the same parents who don't repremand the children at home when they have been repremanded at schol. The same parents who let their children do whatever they want, whenever they want and do not pay attention to who their friends are or what they are involved in. Sadly, too many of these children end up in alternative schools or jail, end up on drugs, pregnant, or assaulted by a "friend".

Parents, stop being your child's friend and start being a parent. Your children have friends. They probably have more than you realize and perhaps they shouldn't have some of the ones they have. As a parent, you should know everything about your child. Give them their privacy, but know what they are doing, who they are with, and how they are behaving. SUPPORT the teachers and administrators who have been put in charge of your child's education and monitoring their behavior. If your child has gotten in trouble at school, SURPRISE, they were probably doing something they should not have been doing. You have to realize that children act differently at school and around their friends, than they do at home, around their parents. It's probably not the teacher's fault or the principal's fault when your child has gotten in trouble. And worse of all, don't question your child's repremand and argue about their punishment FRONT of your child. You are teaching your child that no matter what they do, you are going to take their side and you are going to bail them out of trouble. You're going to have a hard time doing that when your child is standing in front of a judge because of a behavior they carried out due to the fact they were never taught to take responsibility for ALL of their actions, not just the good ones.

For the sake of your child and your child's safety and future, STOP being their friend and start being their parent.

MySpace Migrated Blog #2

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MySpace Migrated Blog #1

Originally posted to MySpace on July 19, 2006

Do you ever get the feeling that no matter what you do, some people will just never be happy? You can kick yourself in the ass all you want and force yourself to make personal sacrifices left and right to please someone else, but there are just some people who can not be pleased.

Think about it - you work your butt off to make something you are sure someone else (or a group of someone elses) will just absolutely LOVE! You present it and wait for the oohs and aahs to start. What do you get? "Well that's nice, but I'd like it better if you did this." "How about this color instead." "Uh, thanks" or the worse - if you have made a change to something instead of creating something from scratch - "WHY DID YOU CHANGE IT?!?!" I think there are some people in the world who are so afraid of change of any type that they are missing out on a huge list of possibilities. How do you discover the sweet seduction of cherry cordial ice cream or the comfort in a bowl of homemade soup if you're stuck on "my parents always bought this kind" vanilla ice cream and Campbell's from a can?

What this world needs is more people who are not afraid of change, appreciate what they are given, and don't complain about every little thing.

I've dumped Myspace

I log in, read updates on friends, and never post anything new. Is there any real reason to keep it? I became bored with it a long time ago and have come to realize Facebook is much better for reconnecting with old friends. My staples have become Facebook, Plurk, and a bit of Twitter, so really, should I even both keeping it? What to do.... what to do... :)

I'll decide later, but as part of the "decision process", I'll be moving some of my old blog posts from there over here. The ones that aren't important ...... DELETE! :D

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Once again. . .

A lily from my yard . . .




It appears I forgot to blog for a while. I started this blog as a way to share with friends, but I also try to use it as a way to clear my mind. I just keep forgetting I have it! :)

My belief in the internet has been reaffirmed this week by way of me reconnecting with an old friend. Jacki was my best friend for years, but as we hit high school, we grew apart, then I moved. Thanks to Facebook, we've rekindled that friendship ten-fold and I couldn't be happier. I think we sometimes get so caught up in life that we forget how vital friendships are to our happiness and development. Friends listen, talk, share, believe, inspire, etc etc... and I love mine.

For Jacki, Lacey, Donna... and the rest of you guys. Thank you for being you.