Ten Years Ago ~ 9/11/2001

Ten year ago today, I was working at Carolina Camera in Greensboro, my first job out of college.  I remember Neil, coming up to the front of the store to say that two planes hit the twin towers.  We turned on the TV that was in the front of the store and all stood around and watched.  Neil said right away that it was an attack. 

At the time my Dad still worked in Washington for the Defense Department.  I called him right away and had his secretary interrupt one of his meetings.  I told him no matter what, don't go to the Pentagon today.  He used to have meetings there all the time.  He was supposed to have a meeting there that day at 8:00am, but it got moved to his office.  At that point he either didn't know the severity of the situation, or just didn't want me to freak out.  But I made him promise he would not go to the Pentagon.  About 10 minutes after we got off the phone at 9:37 a plane hit the Pentagon.  Looking back it was so strange that I had this feeling that something bad was going to happen there.

I remember being so scared that day, but we stayed at work.  Hardly anyone came into the store, but I'm glad I was with people and not home alone.  I specifically remember my friend Jeb taking my hand and telling me everything was going to be okay.  We were okay, but the world as we knew it changed forever. 

I Heart Faces ~ White

Pure joy chasing the geese!

I heart Faces ~ Pets

Like most people, I give human emotions and characteristics to my dog.  I got Sandy right after I graduated from college.  For several years it was just me and Sandy.  She slept in the bed with me and went everywhere with me.  When I got married, she did not seem interested in sharing the house with some strange smelling man.  Many nights, Jason would get up to use the restroom and Sandy would have hopped up in the bed only to take his place.  He would do everything in his power to make her move, but she would plant herself on his pillow.  Many nights during our first year of marriage, Jason ending up sleeping on the couch because Sandy would not move.

A couple of years later we added our second dog Maggie to the household.  Maggie can be a bit of an attention hog.  If Sandy is getting some playtime and affection, Maggie butts her way in and pushes Sandy out of the way.

After a few years with Maggie, we then had Emma.  Emma chases Sandy, tries to sit/ride on her, teases her with Graham Crackers and grabs her tail.  I often think Sandy is cursing me because of all the new people and animals I added to our once duo of girl and dog.  In this photograph Sandy is giving me a look that confirms all those feelings I portrayed upon her.  Emma is having the time of her life and Sandy seems to be saying "why the %$*# did you do this to me?"

Caution - TMI

This past weekend I ran in my first 8K race (5 miles).  It was to raise money for ovarian cancer research.  The great thing about this race is only women could participate in the run.  The unexpected thing is it was a trail run through the woods and MAJOR hills.  I have never run on a trail and did not train for such a race.  I've been running outside through my neighborhood and a nearby park (mostly flat surfaces).  To my surprise, I did pretty well in the race.  My time was much higher than I had planned on, but again I planed on a road race.  I finished in 56:03.  There were some parts that I had to walk, the hills were just too steep. 

Speaking of steep hills, when you run up a hill usually you also have to run down a hill.  This is where TMI begins.  So the first mile was pretty easy, and then I saw the hill of death.  Seriously it was straight up.  I started to slowly jog up, but didn't want to waste all my energy, so I walked most.  At the top of the hill, the trail evened out and I was able to recovery pretty quickly.  Well then I had to run down hill, I thought this will be great, I can make up some time from the previous climb.  I started running down pretty fast and then all of the sudden I wet my pants.  Yes, after child birth you lose control of your lady parts.  It was as if each step down, I leaked a little more.  And if you know me at all, I speak what is on my mind without really thinking about it first.  And I just yelled out, "I just wet my pants!"  The ladies around me (all strangers) started laughing and one informed me that it happens to her all the time.  Well at least I'm not the only one. 

When I got to the bottom of the hill, I quickly began looking for a big bush or tree that I could stop and pee.  All the sudden I saw some dense coverage and thought it would be a great place to pee.  I ran off the course and crouched down behind a bush.  However, during mid-pee I realized that I was squatting in the middle of a mountain bike trail.  Awesome!  Luckily, no one road their bike past me and I didn't have anymore accidents the rest of the race.  But I think the next time I do a trail run, I'll wear Depends.

I Heart Faces ~ Motherhood

My Sweet Emma who loves to give kisses.

Random silly thoughts :)

Do you see the glass half full or half empty?
Depends on if you are pouring into the glass or drinking from the glass.

Prayers Please

My husband has a rare genetic retinal dystrophy called Stargardt’s disease. Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy begins to damage both eyes somewhere between the ages of 6 and 20. Individuals with this disease first notice gray-black or hazy spots in the center of their vision. This disease is degenerative and the vision loss is progressive. His drivers license came up for renewal with his last Birthday. Unfortunately, he was put on a restrictive licence due to his vision.  He has difficultly seeing at a distance. Which means he is perfectly capable of doing his job as all his work is up close.

Jason created a mock up of what he sees when driving.

What normal people see

What Jason sees
Pretty obvious why he has a restricted driver's licence

Jason is the Web Designer and Administrator at Campbell University and is perfectly capable of doing his job from home. His Doctor wrote a letter to the University requesting that he be allowed to work from home as not to put his life in danger. We were very hopeful that he would be granted his request. During my maternity leave, Jason stayed home for two weeks and then one week as half days. The entire time he was home he updated and maintained all website content from home. He has been employed with Campbell for five years and has always gotten outstanding yearly evaluations. I also graduated from Campbell University Divinity School and worked in the Divinity School Admissions department before enrolling in the School of Education to become an Elementary School Teacher. Needless to say, we have a long history with the school and consider ourselves well invested.

Sadly, my husband was told his only option was to work at Campbell in his office. The reason given was that "the University doesn't want to set the precedent of employees working from home." This was very discouraging to us as we hoped a Christian University that states "faith, learning and service excel here" would have more compassion for a visually impaired employee.  We submitted a second letter asking them to reconsider letting Jason work from home as an ADA (Americans with Disability Act) accommodation.  He has all the resources needed to work from home and it would not cause the University undue hardship.  He was denied again, but given a flexible work schedule in terms of his arrival and leaving times. 

We ask all our friends and family to join us as we continue to pray that a opportunity would open for Jason to work from home.  He loves his job and is a hard worker.  We have a beautiful daughter who loves her Daddy.  We hope that Campbell will have a change of heart and show compassion for their employee who has shown nothing but dedication and professionalism in his five years of employment.

Proud Baby

Emma has been working on feeding herself. This morning she practiced eating yogurt with a spoon. She was so proud of herself.

Moving and Groving

Moving furniture at the library.

London Bridges

My husband captured this shot real quick last week. Emma loves to run under my husbands legs like he is a bridge. That works great for him since he is 6,2". But I'm only 5, 6", so Emma has a shorter bridge to pass under.