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.

I Heart Faces ~Slice of Life

This week's photo contest is entitled "Slice of Life."  This little girl was such a wonderful subject and I was lucky to stumble upon such a precious moment.  I personally love this photo as I see such innocence.  I love how the chalk marks her dress, the sunglasses are laid to the side and the piece of chalk is behind her.  She was a serious artist at work.

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Shoving the spaghetti and meatballs in her mouth as fast as she could.

Giving the sign for "thank you" at the end of the meal.

Camden Visits

Yesterday, I got to babysit my friend's 4 month old baby boy. He was such a sweet baby. Emma kept giving him Pacis and holding his bottle for him. But boy, two babies is much harder than one.

Photo Shoot

This past Thursday Jason's parents picked up Emma for a visit.   We went to Winston on Saturday, which meant I had Friday ALL TO MYSELF!  It was a great day!  I went to lunch with a very good friend, ran some errands and then went on a photo shoot in down town Apex.  I really miss just wandering and taking photographs.  Here are some of my captures.

Lunch with Krystie (Emma's Little Gym Teacher)

Happy St. Patty's Day

Guitar at Antique shop....the owner let me move it to a better location for photographs

Capricious

Typically my photographs are of people and in B&W. Today I thought I would tackle a still life with vibrant color. What do you think?

I Heart Faces ~ Best Face February

I love taking photographs of Emma in the Bath.  The morning sun shines so bright in our bathroom which makes for wonderful lighting to take pictures.  Moments before I took this picture, Emma was enjoying the bubbles.  But as soon as they got on her hands, she was not so happy.  She was holding out her hands to say..."Mommy, get them of me."  :)

I Heart Faces ~ Anything "Butt" A Face

Just thought this photo went well with this week's theme and title.  :)

"If I was just a little taller, I could climb in all by myself."

Runny Nose

Poor Emma has another cold, but it doesn't seem to keep her down.  She is still happy and ready to play.

Brushing Maggie

Emma loves to play with my brush.  Whenever she sees it on the counter, she reaches for it or asks for it.  She likes to brush her own hair, mommy's hair, daddy's hair and even the dogs.  Luckily she only uses the back side of the brush on the dogs.
 

Maggie seems to be enjoying herself.

Gotta Love Green Beans

Story Time

I Heart Faces ~ Cell Phone

This week's challenge was to take a photo using your cell phone camera.

Not Happy

You see, like every toddler I have moments of not getting my way.

Nice day for a walk

The past several days have been beautiful.  We have taken advantage of the weather by going on walks in our neighborhood.  We tend to attract children as we have two very sweet lovable dogs.  On this walk, one of the precious children wanted to show off their battle scars from a recent bike accident.  

Shoes

When Daddy gets me dressed, my shoes are on the wrong feet.

Baby Kisses

Emma has started giving me and Jason kisses.  When we used to ask for a kiss she would press her cheek or head to our lips.  But in the past few days she has been planting big ole kisses on our lips.  And she doesn't come at us with an open mouth, she puckers up with a big smile for a good smooch.  Jason was able to get some good pictures of Emma and I last night.

Ready for a Bath

Bow Girl

When Emma was little bitty I put bows in her hair all the time, but now she pulls them out.  Yesterday, I slipped a bow in her hair after nap time and she was watching cartoons.  Sadly the bow only stayed in during her show.  As soon as the show was over she reached up and discovered the bow.  I knew it would be short lived so I took a picture of the cuteness.

Blank Stare at the TV

Visit to the Park

On Valentine's Day the weather was beautiful so Emma and I head to the park. She had fun running all over the place, climbing up the slide and playing peek-a-boo.

Bathtime

Emma has three little piggy bath toys. During bath time I use them to practice counting to three with her. She now lines them up on the ledge herself and talks to the piggys. I hope she is counting, but the words she says do not sound like numbers.  I know, wishful thinking.

DaDa Book

The other day, Emma and I took a little trip to the library.  She walked around, played in the big chairs and looked at books.  We were about to leave when she spotted a book.  She picked it up and said Dada.  She ran up and down the isles of books saying Dada while holding this book.  I couldn't bear to take it away from her so we checked it out.  The past couple of days she has rarely put the book down.  She holds onto it while walking around the house, playing and chasing the dogs.  I guess he does look like Jason.  :)

Music Table

Emma continues to play with her Leap Frog Music Table.

365 Project Link

In a previous blog I mentioned starting the 365 photo project.  Here is the link to my project.

Katie's 365 Project

Looking out the window

Our next door neighbors have a beautiful golden Lab.  Every time he is in the back yard, Emma runs over to the window to watch him.