New Blog – Check it out!

I've decided to create a new blog dedicated to the problems I've had with my feet in an effort to tell my story and to help others who may have similar problems, as well as to thank those who have helped me. Please, don't hesitate to visit, and add it to your blogroll! Here's the address for my new blog, Beautiful Feet: http://beautifulfeet.wordpress.com

Yes, it's hosted somewhere other than Blogger. So, yes, I'm trying something different. When you visit, let me know what you think.

The same rules apply there as here: no foul language, no name-bashing, and comments are moderated for everyone, just so it's fair and stays clean. If you have any questions, you may refer to the post that's already there, or scroll down in this blog to find my rules for posting.

I'll see you there or here! This blog will remain on this site... At least for now. :)

Baby shower time!

So, this Saturday, I'm throwing a baby shower for two of my closest friends: Random Dan and Intolerant Elle, who blog together as Random Intolerance. Yes, it's a couple's shower. It will be the first one I've ever attended, and I'm actually planning it. I'm surprised that so many people have already said they're coming – guys included!

The Random Intolerants are expecting a baby girl at the end of October. I'm getting very excited to see her and hold her and (hopefully) be able to babysit her once in a while. My hubby and I have made jokes about her and my nephew ending up together when they get older. ;) Depending on who you talk to, those jokes are well received.

The guys, and whoever else wants to join them, will be playing poker after the gifts have been opened. Elle said, though, that her husband's family tends to break out into poker games at the drop of a hat, so we'll see how it works.

I'll give you an update close to or just after the shower. Nice to see you all again! :D

Update after months-long leave

There are a number of reasons that I haven't blogged in recent months, work being one of the most important reasons. Sometimes, those who are in the media business need to keep a tight reign on the kinds of extracurricular activities, if you will, that we engage in. I didn't want my co-workers and listeners figuring out who I was online, and harassing me or causing problems for me at work.

So, since a lawyer I've never met decided to teach me a lesson after I accidentally cut his wife off while driving a company vehicle, I don't have that job anymore. Sad, I know. Especially since I was loving that job.

Also, I just underwent my 19th foot surgery last Monday, to remove a metal plate from my right foot that was put in during one of my reconstructive surgeries three years ago.

And an update on that adorable nephew of mine, who's pictured below: He's now 7 1/2 months old! He laughs these big belly laughs, smiles all the time, and absolutely loves his aunt: me. :D

I'm going to try to post on my blog more often, too. So, if you just happened to be stopping by to see if I'd actually added anything lately, thank you. Pass it on that I'm back! I'm hoping to contribute to the next Lutheran Carnival, too. I just have to come up with something to post about. ;)

Until next time!

I'm back!

So I've been an inconsistent blogger. Have you missed me?

I've been working seven days a week for the last couple of months, between two part-time jobs. But I've been enjoying both.

Some things that have happened since I last posted:

• The Gridiron production I was in, as part of the Society for Professional Journalists, went over famously, and it was said that it was the best in Gridiron history! That's fantastic, considering the Gridiron has been going for 40 years in this area!
• The Greensburg tornado hit really close to home -- about 1 1/2 hours away from here. Since I work in the news industry, I ended up reporting on a lot of information relating to and directly affecting the residents of that hard-hit community.
• I've been given one more day per week to work at my news job -- because a man who used to work Friday nights only COMPLETELY MISSED THE GREENSBURG TORNADO!!! He never got ANYTHING on the air. Not when it hit, not when it left behind the damage and the suspected dead, nothing during his air shift. So, I was offered his Friday nights when he was shown the door.

In other news, my little nephew, whose picture is below, is now three months old and weighs in at about 16 lbs. and some change. My sister has her figure back, for the most part, and is enjoying being a mother. My brother-in-law is enjoying being a father, too. And my husband and I are enjoying being Godparents.

There are a lot of things I'd like to post about, so hopefully, I'll find time to write about them. I would also share some pictures with you, but my husband has seemingly hidden the adapter that would allow me to download pictures from our camera. :(

I'll share pictures if and when I find it.

Busy Bee = Me

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything on this blog, but I have a good reason... I've started working a second part-time job (not related to journalism) and am rehearsing most weeknights for an amateur stage production put on by the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. It's supposed to be reminiscent of Saturday Night Live, with singing and dancing, and the skits will have a journalism/newsy twist.

Between the two jobs and the rehearsals, I'm working day and night seven days a week. The exception for this night is that I was able to switch Thursday and Friday nights at the radio station with the guy who usually works Friday nights. It helps, because then I have a whole day, more or less, to get housework and errands done.

Well, my nephew is just over a month old now, and is still the sweetest, cutest baby boy I know. He will be baptized on March 25, and my husband and I have been asked to be his godparents! What a wonderful opportunity to honor God and serve Him, and to help my sister and brother-in-law teach him about Lutheranism, and the answers to "What does this mean?".

I am very happy, although I am so very busy. "This is most certainly true."

The picture above shows my nephew. Isn't he gorgeous?!

I'm an aunt!

My nephew, my sister and brother-in-law's son, was born at 2:12 p.m. on February 14, 2007. He weighed 7 lbs. 4.5 oz., and was 19 3/4 inches long. Fortunately, I was able to be there in the room while he was being born, and got to see the whole thing!

The little family of three is happily at home, getting used to one another. I couldn't be more proud of my sister, brother-in-law and, of course, my nephew. I'll share pictures when I get a chance.

Review of the Rules for Commenting

If your comment has been rejected, please review the rules I have for posting comments on this blog.

Post Number 300!

And I'm celebrating by sharing some of the articles I've come across on the national wires. But, since it's so late, I'm only going to discuss one of them tonight. I'll save the others for daytime.

First, this one:

A North Dakota lawmaker says his state's ban on a man and woman living together without being married is unenforceable and encourages disrespect for the law.

Democratic State Senator Tracy Potter says the Legislature should repeal the law against cohabitation, which is punishable by a 30-day jail term and a one-thousand dollar fine.

Potter said citizens ignore the law and police don't enforce it. If they did, he said North Dakota would need a ten (b) billion dollar prison to hold all the violators.

But Tom Freier (FRY'-ur), a spokesman for the North Dakota Family Alliance, said repealing the measure would signal that the state doesn't value marriage and the societal benefits it brings.

He said research has shown that cohabiting ``poses a special risk for women and children.''

I know that this kind of behavior is becoming the norm anymore, but that doesn't make it right. Mr. Freier is right: there is a special risk that those who cohabit pose for themselves and any children who might live with them. These relationships, if they lead to marriage, are more likely than those who do not cohabit prior to marriage to divorce or have very serious problems.

I also agree that repealing the law would say the state feels that living together prior to marriage is an insignificant problem, and that marriage is not a meaningful institution.

Certainly, the jails would begin to fill if everyone who violated the law were arrested, but I propose a different solution that would keep the law valid: impose a daily fine on those who violate the law. The money collected could go toward city improvement, college funds for those who do not cohabit, etc. Those who are living together for so-called economic reasons would have to weigh those benefits against the daily fine they incur as a result of their behavior.

My guess is that a large portion of violators (although I have no evidence to back this up) are college-age people. They're not ready or willing to get married, or don't feel like they want to be tied down by a legally binding relationship, so they decide that they'll live with their partner for however long they please and when it doesn't work out, they can just leave with no strings attached.

College-age people are generally not well off financially, unless mommy and daddy are paying their way and giving them an allowance. But I have a feeling that if mommy and daddy knew or found out that their money was being spent on fines for illegal behavior, the money flow would disappear and the behavior would be curbed. And those who don't have much of an income, who would be in the majority, would not be able to afford the continuous fine.

Cohabitation prior to marriage is wrong. It's just as wrong as premarital sex, which is also becoming the norm. Waiting until marriage to have sex and/or live together until marriage is becoming the stereotypes of "squares" or those who "just can't get any." But consider the following:

• If everyone waited to have sex until they were married, and once married, didn't have sex with anyone other than their spouse, how common would sexually transmitted diseases be?
• Would people really know the difference between what was good or bad between the sheets if they had no one else to compare their spouse to?
• How many children would grow up not knowing who their fathers are, unless they died?
• How many children would be born or conceived out of wedlock?

I could go on and on and on.

This world is becoming a very sick and perverted place, and the immoral behavior being exhibited is becoming what's expected of people. If you don't have sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend, the view is that something is wrong with you, something bad happened to you in your past, or you've got irrational fears of getting pregnant.

What if you're just wanting to save the most precious gift you have for your husband or wife on your wedding night? Is that so wrong? I think it's wonderful. And I'll guarantee you that God looks favorably upon those who save themselves for their spouse, and their spouse only.

If you've been guilty of cohabitation without marriage, you've got some repenting and praying to do.

Getting ready to be an aunt

With my sister and brother-in-law eagerly anticipating the birth of their son, their first child, in the next few weeks, I am getting excited about being able to see and hold my new nephew.

My mom and I were with my sister and her husband when she had her last sonogram. She was able to have "4-D Imaging" done since she was far enough along. The pictures that were taken actually showed his face with astonishing detail. He is going to be very cute. Of course, since he's my nephew -- my sister's son -- I already love him.

What was really cool about the sonogram was that the technician was able to determine my nephew's approximate weight, along with how much he might weigh when he's born. According to her estimations, my little nephew is going to weigh at least 8 lbs. when he's born, if he waits to be born until around his due date at the end of February.

My sister and brother-in-law have decided that they are going to try to have their baby at a birth care center that has birthing suites. I've seen the suites: my home economics class took a tour there when I was in high school and we were studying parenting. These suites are very large and very nice. My sister is wanting my mom and me to be present in the birthing suite when my nephew is born, which would be really cool! (I just hope I'm not working when I get the phone call!)

In the meantime, my mom and I had to postpone the baby shower we were planning to have had for my sister yesterday: it will now be held this coming Sunday. We got about five straight hours of sleet and freezing rain, topped with snow. The streets have not been safely passable for the last three days, but are better today since the sun came out.

One of the things I'm looking forward to doing with my little nephew (besides holding him, feeding him, changing diapers and playing with him) is helping him learn new things. I've always been excited about learning, and I pray that he will be, too.

I have to work tonight, so I'm going to end my post here. I'll be back, though, with pictures of my sister, my nephew and the trip my husband and I took to the Pacific coast to visit with his family.

West Coast Posting

Since the evening of Christmas Day, my husband and I have been visiting with his family on the west coast. Although it's rainy here half the time, when the sky is clear, it's really very lovely. The view of mountains in the east, the smell of the ocean not too far away, and the knowledge that we might be able to see that huge wet oasis again is wonderful. (I've only seen the ocean once before in my life, and it was three years ago when we were last in this part of the country.)

Yesterday, we visited my husband's grandmothers, who are both in senior care homes. His maternal grandmother's doctor didn't give her more than just a few more months left to live, so we wanted to make sure we got up here to visit before it was too late. With prayers, maybe she'll be around long enough to see us have at least one child, depending on how long it takes us to start our family.

Saturday, we'll be having supper with my husband's paternal grandmother at the nursing home. When we went to visit yesterday, we looked over the menu and read it to her (she suffers from macular degeneration and can't see well anymore) so she could tell us when the food would be most appetizing. ;) She's a very sweet lady. Well, both grandmas are very sweet. I love them both.

My parents-in-law are wonderful people, too. I couldn't ask for more loving and fun in-laws. They love me and treat me the same as they do their own kids. And once in a while, they take my side over my husband's in a debate. ;) They're so cool!

I guess today we're going to do some site seeing. Mount Hood isn't too far away, the ocean isn't too far away, and I guess there are some really majestic canyons and waterfalls to see in this area. The landscape is so gorgeous, especially compared to my native Kansas.

Whenever my husband and I fly anywhere, I try to get a window seat on the plane so I can look out over the land below. I love looking at the mountains, the ocean if I can see it from my seat on the plane, and anything else that pops into my view.

This is a very beautiful part of the country, made more lovely by the family we're visiting. And although we're only going to be here for a few more days, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it that I can. Maybe next time we're in this area, we can come during one of the summer months, when, I'm told, there are lots of flowering trees and the sights are even more beautiful.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and I'll post more in the New Year.

Sleeping on a Cloud

After more than four years, my husband and I finally have a real bed to sleep on! For the entirety of our marriage, we have been sleeping on a futon, which was absolutely killing my back. We are now proudly using our futon as a couch (and emergency bed if we have guests, so they can sleep on it), and have a new memory foam bed to call our own.

TempurPedic will tell you that theirs is the only one out there like it, but the reality is that there is another company out there that makes the exact same mattresses for about half the price, and they have the same 20-year warranty. So, we went with the other company: Sleep Level.

My husband and I did a lot of research into the kind of mattress we wanted to get, because this is something you don't want to have to be buying every five to ten years. I talked to my family doctor and also my orthopaedic doctor about it, too. They both said that this is the best mattress we could possibly get. About 98 percent of people who had woken up with back pain or other muscle pains reported that after sleeping on a memory foam mattress, their pain was dramatically reduced, if not gone completely.

I've only slept one night on it so far, and my back already feels soooooo much better! I had been seeing a physical therapist about it because it had gotten so bad! (But I stopped going a few months ago, even though I was still having problems.)

Now, I can't wait to get into bed at night. I pray that I'll be tired during the day so I can take a nap on the new bed, just because I like it that much! But today, I wasn't tired enough to need to sleep, even after sleeping only about 6 hours, compared to my usual 8! And I work until midnight tonight!

This bed is such a good investment. Actually, anytime you make an investment in your health, it's a good investment.

Sweet dreams!

My nephew will be born in two months!

The picture at the right is a picture of my sister's pregnant belly as of one month ago. She's a little bigger now.

The lower picture is what she looked like in October.


I'm really looking forward to meeting my nephew. My mom is helping me plan a baby shower, which we'll have in January. The baby will be born in February, and the baptism will be in March.

My sister said she feels like she's starting to waddle now. And one of her frustrations is finding warm sweaters she can wear over her baby belly. Most maternity sweaters she's seen are really thin, and if she tries a non-maternity large sweater, it bags in the arms. Any suggestions would be great.

I've got some catching up to do!

It's been some time since I've posted anything other than the rules for commenting on my blog (which, by the way, still apply). So, I've published another new post below this one.

My sister is now about 6 1/2 months along in her pregnancy, which means I'm going to have a little nephew very soon! It also means that I have a lot of planning to do before the baby shower I'm throwing for her in January!

The pictures of her belly that I posted before look so small now compared to how big she is now. And still, she is the cutest pregnant lady ever!

The little baby in her belly is very active. I've felt him move around and kick several times, and it is just the coolest thing in the world! I'm looking forward to meeting, holding and babysitting the little guy!

It makes me more anxious for my husband and I to try to have a baby, too. I want our kids and my sister's kids to be close enough in age that they can play together and relate to one another easily as they grow up.

In other news, my husband and I will finally be going to visit his parents and grandparents on the west coast over Christmas and New Year's. This will be the first time we've seen them in three years, because travel hasn't been very possible on either their end or ours for so long. Please pray for my husband's maternal grandmother, who is in very bad health and who will celebrate her last Christmas and New Year's this holiday season. We're basically going to visit with the knowledge that we're saying goodbye to her for the last time. She'll never know any of our kids, and that makes me very sad.

Also, my grandma's eye surgery went well, and she's able to see much better now. She still has to have a total knee replacement, which is scheduled for sometime in March. That's going to be very difficult for her, because she's not going to be able to go back to her hometown until she's completely healed. The reason is that she likes to help her husband (who is in a nursing home) stand up, get into bed, etc., and it's too stressful on a newly-remodeled knee for her to be doing that sort of thing. But she'll do it anyway, given the way to go back home too early. Please pray for her, too.

Nothing particularly interesting in the news today that I could share, unfortunately. I'll try to post something more before we leave for the west coast in a couple of weeks.

God bless you all.

Non-Christian Organization Serves Godly Mission

I may not work for an organization that would be listed in a Christian business directory, but that doesn't mean that we don't do God's handywork.

Every year around Christmastime (and apparently for the last 30 years), the company I work for organizes a charity drive in which listeners call in to the radio station they listen to within our broadcast group, and "adopt" a child for Christmas. By "adopt," I mean that these kids have been put on a list by the local police department because they live in a family with little to no income, and would otherwise not get any gifts this Christmas.

Listeners called a hotline number, asked what the children wanted for Christmas, and bought those items and brought them to the station to be gift-wrapped and delivered by the police officers.

There are other times when we have charity drives or relay races or other fund-raisers for organizations that help children or adults with whatever may be plaguing them. Some may call these publicity stunts or things we do for public relations, but as someone who's actually gotten to know the people behind these events, I've realized that these people are different: Sure, the PR is good, but they really do care about these people that they're helping.

At a time when there are so many people all-too-willing to receive gifts this year, it's wonderful to see so many people volunteering to give to complete strangers without anything in return.

Trolls like Susan

It seems that my husband and I have a few trolls that have been leaving uninformed, harassing comments on our blogs from people who obviously know nothing of what it is to be Lutheran, and feel they must "correct" our behavior because we're not pious enough for them. (Guess what: We don't care what trolls think about how pious we are. The comments of trolls don't matter enough to be displayed. Trolls are inconsequential to us.)

Because of this, I have enabled comment moderation. This means that before any comments are displayed on my blog, they will pass through my e-mail first for my approval or disapproval. Furthermore, any comments that I deem harassing or otherwise inappropriate for my blog will not be posted, and no one will see them.

This means that if you have a complaint, you'll need to leave an e-mail address for me to respond to if you actually want a response. If you are so embarrassed that you actually read my or my husband's blogs that you don't want to leave your name or contact information, then you have no business visiting or leaving comments.

If you are going to leave comments and want your comments to be displayed, I suggest you leave a comment that is non-threatening, non-harassing in nature, and give your real name. I will not respond to aliases or anonymous commenters.


Ground rules for commenting (if you expect your comment to be displayed):

1. No foul language. This is, and will continue to be, a family-friendly blog that even children can read without their parents fearing that they will be reading something inappropriate.

2. No commenting on topics not posted on this blog. This means that if you've found a questionable topic on another blog (a.k.a. my husband's), you may not post your comment on my blog in response to that topic.

3. No anonymous commenting. I don't care if you don't have an account with Blogger. Leave your name at the end of your comment if you don't have or don't want to create an account. Comments left without a name will not be allowed into the comments section for anyone to leave, and they will not be responded to.

4. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ME OR ANYTHING THAT IS POSTED ON THIS BLOG, YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT. That goes for any blog on the web, including my husband's. What's the point in visiting a blog you don't approve of unless you enjoy having your blood boil? Get a life!

5. I have the ability to track my visitors. If you truly want to be anonymous, you will be unsuccessful, because I can track where you live and I have your IP address. One way or another, if I have to, I can find out who you are and turn you in for harassment. I have the national and international connections through my media connections to find you and have you prosecuted, if I need to.

Bottom line: If I don't approve of the comments you're leaving, they will never see the world wide web. Anonymous commenters or those who use aliases will not receive responses. I don't tolerate disrespectful people on my blog. Other bloggers may be different. I don't care.

I thought that because of the longevity of my blog and the history of people who have commented on this blog before, I didn't have to spell out my rules in so many words. I guess now, I do. Those of you who are used to commenting on my blog and who have done so without problems or response from me don't have to worry about your comments not being displayed. They will be, I'm sure.

Those who read my blog generally consist of friends and pastors. Many of these friends are those who have been reading my blog and whose blogs I have been reading for a few years. Many of the pastors who visit have become friends or were friends before I started this blog. These are the people who are welcome in my comments section. Newcomers have to go through me first now. I'm taking back control of my blog.