From my eyes…

I want to write. I’m just at a loss lately, ok fine for the last several months, FINE year or so. Humph - of what to write. I don’t want to only put life updates on this site and it seems my head is so full of so much lately that the simple things I’d blog about in the past seem so mundane that I don’t want to waste time typing it. I would LOVE a project similar to Flickr 365 my friend Chrysty participates in, but for blogs. Something to guide me on the days that I want to post, but don’t have much worthwhile to say. On my search through cyberland, I didn’t find something like this exactly. Not even on the Blog 365 site. But I did find another bloggers site that listed possible post titles and a challenge to write about them.
So here we are with #1. How I use Facebook. I plan to do as many as apply to things in my life (there are a few that are specific to this guys line of work). So come back often and let’s get back in the swing of this, shall we?

There’s much discussion about social networking websites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and others. I have accounts on all three mentioned sites. I enjoy them when I use them, but I do feel that there are many times I have to limit myself to it’s usage so as not to neglect other things in my life. My friends, all who have accounts as well, vary on their opnions about these sites. Some of us are on it soley to reconnect with friends and be a part of the “in” crowd. Others of us joined to help network our careers. My social networking webpage accounts started with MySpace. I signed up so that I could read my brother’s posts while he was at war. Then I started getting friend requests from our mutual friends and then more and more and I was glad to see how people from high school had continued their life. I was happy to be in touch with those who I thought I would only see are reunions. It was a lot of fun. And then Facebook was introduced to me. I held off for a while, but before long was a member at that site as well. I know visit that site daily and MySpace not at all. Then Twitter came into my life. I love that one, but can’t update as often as I’d like and so have let it fall by the wayside. My focus lately has been Facebook. I even showed it to my parents who started accounts and are having fun being a part of this web generation. Facebook has many uses and purposes, but for me it’s to stay in touch with people from my past or present. I don’t “friend” anyone I don’t know. I don’t comment and chat with friends as much as I should, but I appreciate that I can check-in on them and them me. I like to add pictures to share my life. I would love to use the applications to give my site more personality, but it’s not a necessity when I’m really there to visit with friends. I have a link to site, so it’s marketing on a teeny-tiny scale. I may pump that up a bit. If I ever had a different career path that warranted it, I would certainly take advantage of what can be done through these sorts of sites. Until then, I’ll stick to cyber stalking my friends and family!

Some book updates:

Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust, by Lola Kauffman
      This is a young adult book. Reading level in the upper elementary, about 4th grade. But the interest is high. Especially for anyone who loves the Holocaust stories as much as I do. The book is written without a ton of fluff and is easy to get through. It’s very short and took me about an hour to read. By the time I relunctantly closed the book, I commented to Mike that I needed a cigarette, or a drink It was just lots of tension and up and down. And it’s a true story about a young girl that I found amazing. I would love to meet the author who currently resides New York. If I ever catch wind of her coming to IL for any speaking engagements, you can bet I’ll be there!

If I am missing or dead, by Janine Latus
      This true novel is a story for all women. It follows that author’s life as she remains in abusive relationships while becoming a victim over and over again. At the same time she is counselling her sister through phone calls, which reveal they are in similar situations. Janine’s sister is missing from work one day, and then another sparking a search for her body. It is a book I think all women should read, but one that is equally difficult to hand to someone and say “Hey, I think you should read this” I would hate for someone to read into the recommendation…though if made her a Janine instead of an Amy it would be worth it.

I’ve read a slew of childrens books since the school year started. Feel free to contact me if you are in need of a recommendation for upper elementary/junior high level novels. Young Adult lit is my fave!

I’ve been trying to read more adult literature lately. It seems to always be a goal of mine. I have many books on my shelves and I will get to them. Right now on the nightstand is Jody Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper. I’ve heard a lot about this author, so when Mike’s mom offered it up to borrow I couldn’t say no. I’ve only just started it, but it seems like an easy read so far. I can’t wait to devour it this week.

I’m also still trying to get into Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. My father is near obsessed with these books and I know he really wants me to enjoy them, too. The problem is that the first in the series, which I asked about skipping and was told no, is about the southwest cowboy and indian type and that is the least intriguing topic I could think of. I will try again though.

Some titles coming up for me: 
Bitter is the New Black - I read Such a Pretty Fat by this hilarious author so it only seemed appropriate to spend a holiday gift card on this title.

She’s Come Undone - a loaner from a friend. This is Emily’s favorite author.

Wicked, and the sequels Son of a Witch & Lion Among Men - Gregory Maguire and captivated me with this unique spin on an old story.

And there are many more on the shelves, plural. Do you know any great titles I need to add?

There are things in life that I’ve done that I’m proud of. There are some that I’m not. And many that I an nether proud nor ashamed to have in my past.
One of the neutral things in my life was earning my Master’s degree. While I was in school, I really didn’t think anything more of it than being able to become a teacher. My original degree is in Sociology and did not qualify me to be a teacher. When I researched my options, staying in school and earning my graduate degree along side my teacher certification seemed that best option in regards to time and money.
Since I’ve graduated, I’ve found myself feeling pleased that I have this degree. It allows me so many wonderful things that I never had thought of previously. It allows me to fall into a higher pay bracket (slight as it may be) for public teaching salaries. If my district were ever to cut back teachers, they follow a list of senority and also consider teachers with higher education. It allowed me to be a supervisor at a second job (which I now do online and they don’t have that position, but in AZ I was sup. and made more moola because of it).
Having a Master’s degree also opens up the opportunity to work in colleges! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and now with 7 years in the field, I can finally apply for some of these professor positions. I still love my job, but I think it would be great to teach a college class or two in the evenings while I can. And it would be fantastic if I could do that when we start a family and can be home during the day, and Mike home at night (no daycare would be fab!).
And this week, while looking up some of these positions that are open, I clicked on the benefits package for a nearby university. I was excited to be reminded that children of college professors can go to college for free (spouses too)! It is a new goal of mine to make sure that I have enough time in as a faculty member to ensure that my children have the oppotunity for a free education. It made me beam from the inside out last week. I never thought Mike and I would be able to help much with college. I’m so honored to be able to provide this for my kids (assuming sometime in the next 17 years I can get hired on somewhere ;))! It cost a lot of money and took its toll on me at times, but graduate school has proven time and time again to be worth it.

I realize my blog is dead. That many of you come back every so often only to be disappointed that there is no update to be found. I too m disappointed. And soon, I will be back. I can’t say when exactly, but it will happen. And it will be in 2009

Updates:
Planning a wedding is fun! Check out our wedding site at http://www.weddingwire.com/kcandmike

I hope you are all well! And I’ll be back to writing regularly in a matter of weeks

My niece Addison has arrived! She is the perfect little chubby faced baby and I am going to meet her for the first time this morning. I can’t wait to squish her! From what I can tell, she resembles Heather’s family most, but has my brothers dimples. Too cute! She has a heart condition that is being watched closely and will undergo open-heart surgery in 4 or 5 months. Click on her name above to follow her progress on a blog my brother set-up.

When I was kid, we had some neighbors who had kids we spent a lot of time with. I think it’s safe to say that daughter that was my brothers age (7 or so) was his best friend. The other kids were younger, so I spent time “baby-sitting” when the mom had to run a super quick errand or take a nap or make a big meal, be upstairs to clean for an extended amont of time, etc. Needless to say, we spent lots of time at their house.The Shattuck family were our closest friends just before we moved from Michigan to Arizona. We’ve kept in touch through holiday letters and to this day certain little things make me think of the friendship our families shared.
I was not happy to move to AZ. I was not happy to leave my life and move to what I pictured as the sahara. Seriously, I was 9 and they said “desert” how was I supposed to know there were different types of desert climate?
So I spent the better part of our first years hanging on to anything Michigan related that I could. One of my favorite things I held on to was a video my brother and I had made one day while playing at the Shattucks. Bill, the dad, had taped us parading through the house playing instruments with hats on our heads and just general silliness. At the end of the tape he recorded his son Josh, a toddler at the time, singing Holly Jolly Christmas. It was near the holidays and he’d just learned the song. I can’t help but think of sweet little Josh and the Shattucks everytime I hear that song - which you can imagine is often this tiem of year! I don’t know what the Shattucks are up to lately. Hopefully, there will be an updated holiday letter at my parents house when I arrive in two weeks. But I hope Josh is still singing his Christmas song!

What holiday songs bring up memories for you?

Others for me are Silent Night - in our Christmas Eve candle light service each year harmonizing with Amanda and Erin. And Hark the Harold Angels Sing, because it is simply gorgeous and because I wrote it on the request paper in the bulletin in third grade and even though I left it in the pew Carol Lyman found it and made it part of the service the following week with my name next to it.