Beachbody Ultimate Reset, Day 2

December 31, 2012July 16, 2013 / Stephanie / Leave a comment

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good. It is New Year’s Eve and we all slept in til about 9am. I took my morning supplements, this time taking the Oxyginize orally…I just dropped about 12 drops on my tongue. It’s a little salty, but easy to stomach. I did notice that I got an almost immediate, dull headache that lasted a couple of hours. I think it must have been due to the Oxyginize becacuse if you think about it, you’re giving yourself a shot of pure oxygen. I wasn’t too bothered by it though.

While I waited the 30 minutes to eat breakfast, I looked over my lunch (Greek Salad with Chicken Breast and Pine Nuts) and decided to ditch it in favor of the Microgreen Salad from Day 1. I know, I know…I said I wasn’t going to substitute. But, it was a logistical issue. We were going to a New Year’s Eve Run and needed to leave the house at 11:30. I didn’t want to have to cook the chicken (which I don’t really care for anyway) and I already had leftover salad from yesterday. So, that’s that. Breakfast was good, and easy to make. I used honey in my plain yogurt and was blown away at how good it was!

Lunch was on the go because we spent too much time browsing www.thevancouverrealestate.ca. I did the 5k with my son, but walked most of it because Beachbody really doesn’t recommend exercise that raises your heart rate. The reasoning behind this is that your body is using a lot of energy to support the detoxification that’s going on inside. Strenuous exercise forces your body to redirect that energy, which is counter-productive. Also, the meals–while nutritious–do not provide enough calories to support your body during exercise. I admit that I did run a bit…but only because I didn’t want to finish with the back of the pack. That’s just a pride issue. A hilarious side note is that I finished only 2 minutes ahead of my husband, who was running the 10k. Did I mention he runs marathons in his free time?

My schedule got a little screwed up after that. The run was at 1, so it was after 2 by the time I was able to take my supplements and then I didn’t finish my DELICIOUS salad until almost 3. Being New Year’s Eve though, I knew we’d be staying up late, so I didn’t sweat it too much.

Alkanalize was gross again. This time, I mixed it in a glass with only about 3 ounces of water and took it like a shot. But, it didn’t mix up very well and left a good deal of it in the bottom of the glass. Still need to work on that one.

Dinner was PHENOMENAL. I had been looking forward to it all day. Actually, it was the guacamole that I was looking forward to. I think avocados are the world’s perfect food. I discovered Wholly Guacamole a while back and this time, I bought it in the single serving packets. It’s a little more expensive that way, but easy to transport if you need to and it’s perfectly measured, so I’m not tempted to have just a “little more”. The black beans and rice with the corn and salsa was just so tasty. I made a double batch because I knew I would want it another time this week.

We were out an about a good portion of the day. We had opted to have a quiet family night at home instead of trying to go out. We had dinner, played a game of Words with Friends and then settled in to watch Doctor Who, which I slept through. It was deep sleep, complete with dreams as my husband and son watched several episodes. They woke me up at 11 to ring in the new year and I was asleep again by about 1am.

So far so good…but I am starting to dread days 3-5. I’ve heard a lot about those being the worst days and I’m grateful that tomorrow is a holiday and I don’t have to go to work.

Beachbody Ultimate Reset – Day 1

December 30, 2012January 5, 2013 / Stephanie / Leave a comment

Welcome to Day 1 of Beachbody Ultimate Reset. Day 1 is actually just the day I started the reset….the preperation started several days before. Since it’s a 21 day program, and my birthday is January 21, I decided to start on Dec 30, so that I would be finished in time for my birthday so that I could indulge on that day. In retrospect, that kind of thinking is exactly why I have battled my weight for all these years. Yes, this is a 21 day program, but I believe that it’s really designed to change your relationship with food and your whole mindset about what you put in your body. There’s no sense in doing this for 3 weeks only to go back to unhealthy ways. And, now that I’m actually 5 days in, I am re-thinking what my choices will be on my birthday. I still plan to go to my favorite restaurant but what (and how much) I eat and drink might be different that it would have been a few weeks ago.

Since I decided on Dec 30th and I knew that I would not be returning from our Christmas vacation until Dec 29th, I went online and did all of my grocery shopping so that it would be delivered in the morning on Dec 30th. It was a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself. Also, if you are unfamiliar with some of the ingredients, you won’t spend hours going up and down the aisles trying to find what you need. I used Peapod delivery and they did not have everything I needed anyway. Things like miso paste and smoky tempeh strips are available on Amazon.com though so it’s easy to order from them (especially if you have a prime membership, which I highly recommend). I also made a trip to Whole Foods to get some things in bulk that I didn’t want to have an entire box of — things like millet, for instance. I don’t particularly enjoy millet, but I’m committed to trying all of these recipes, so I bought it in a small quantity. If you have a Whole Foods though, you can literally buy everything on the BUR shopping list there. If you are unfamiliar with some of the items, just ask someone for help. They are so nice in there and will even give you recommendations about different brands.

Speaking of the BUR shopping list, if you are not using the online tool at ultimatereset.com, you definitely need to aquaint yourself with it! I wish it was a little more interactive — for instance, I’d like to be able to log my food, water, supplements and sleep from there, but maybe that will come eventually (hint, hint…). Anyway, it’s nice because you can print out out a shopping list for each week, or Phase as the plan calls it. Also, from there you can sign up for a daily email that will send you your daily plan each morning. I wish I had known about this because it asks you your start date but won’t let you use the current date, or any date before it to start. I did sign up just to see what it was like — and it is great — but it’s a day behind for me so it’s rather useless. Hopefully, they will fix that as well.

Okay, so Day 1. It was really pretty un-eventful. The food was very good — I really enjoyed the breakfast, which was a simple meal of eggs, whole grain toast and spinach. The plan calls for kale or spinach. I am a huge fan of kale’s nutritional value, and I use it regularly in smoothies, but I do not really like it steamed. Spinach is a fine substitute and has phenomenal nutritional qualities as well, so I did not feel bad making a substitution right off the bat.

Speaking of substitutions….I did make a commitment to try all of the meals. However, I did discover, from reading the official Facebook support page, that you can substitute any like meal in a given phase. For example, if you hate eggs, you could substitute the oatmeal breakfast from Day 2 on Day 1 — or any other day in that Phase. You can’t take a breakfast from Phase 2 and put it in Phase 1 or 3. The exceptions are with animal proteins…you can’t have the salmon or chicken more than once during the week. And, I’m not sure about the official stance on eggs, but I would think that you wouldn’t want to have them more than the two times that they are on the menu in Phase 1 (Day 1 & 3). And since the idea is to slowly wean your body off of animal proteins, my sense is that you probably don’t want to have eggs on Day 6. The bottom line is that while they recommend, and I strongly encourage, you to stick with the menu, there is some flexibility if you need it. Also, you might think you don’t like something that turns out to be really tasty. As you cleanse your palate, the foods will begin to really burst with flavor.

Lunch on Day 1 was AMAZING. The Microgreen Salad is so good, and I generally hate making salads because they never taste as good as they do when someone else makes them. Not this one! I used cashews, which I LOVE, and it was a real treat. There are 3 salad dressings that you can make that are in the recipe section of the book. I made a batch of the Creamy Garlic, because it sounded amazing…and it is. I also finally had a use for the Pampered Chef salad dressing shaker thingy that I bought a LONG time ago. It will be getting regular use now. The best part? I discovered jicama. I’ve had it before…in sushi I think, but I would never have bought it, much less put it in salad. I’ll never make a salad without it again. It is crunchy, giving the salad some texture and a little sweet which adds interesting flavor. Also, it’s prounounced with an H sound, not a hard J….hi-ka-ma. You’re welcome.

Dinner was great, too. My whole family was thrilled to have salmon. Living in the Pacific Northwest off an on for 20 years, I’m pretty picky about salmon. If you don’t like salmon, it’s probably because you are eating farm raised, color added, Atlantic salmon. Don’t. It is generally mushy and has no flavor. It also has added color, which is gross. Food doesn’t need to have color added to it unless you’re making green eggs and ham for your kid on Dr. Suess’s birthday. The best salmon on the planet is Copper River Salmon. But, you can only get it fresh for a few weeks in the summer…and it can be expensive. But, look for fresh, wild NO COLOR added salmon like Alaskan Sockeye, Pacific King or Alaskan Silver. Being on the East Coast now, it seems that Sockeye is what most markets stock. I try to buy fish that is sustainably harvested as well, but that’s probably another issue for another blogpost. The point is, buy good salmon. You won’t regret it. And, a serving is only 6 ounces, so you don’t have to spend and arm and a leg on it.

I guess I kind of got on a soapbox there, but I really believe that if you are eating quality food, you will be more satisfied. And, you can’t properly detox if your food has random additives.

On to the supplements. In Phase 1, you’ll be Mineralizing, Oxygenizing, Optimizing and Alkalinizing. On day 1, I put the Oxygenize drops in my water, along with the “pinch” of Mineralize. I mixed the Alkalinize in with about 6 ounces of water. I’m not gonna lie…it’s gross. It tastes like seaweed. I don’t hate seaweed, but I don’t really want to drink it. I’ve got to figure out a different way to do it.

I did not have a snack on Day 1. It’s optional and I wasn’t hungry.

The only thing I’ll say about Day 1 that was sort of different is that I was SUPER tired. Like exhausted, can’t-keep-my-eyes-open tired. But, I had just returned from a week long trip to the West Coast where we were busy all day every day. The three hour time difference kills me, too. I also gave up the one or two cups of coffee that I normally have, so it seems like it was more of a combination of factors that led to the extreme fatigue.

So far, so good. Bring on Day 2.

Life according to Jake

December 19, 2012December 19, 2012 / Stephanie / 1 Comment

It’s been hard having a 13 year old these past few days. In the past, I’ve been able to avoid talking about national tragedies by avoiding turning on the television. I remember being so grateful that he was only 2 on 9/11 because I had no idea what I would have said to him.

Then, Friday happened and I had no idea what to say to him. But, I had to say something. I quickly realized that you don’t have to have an answer about “why?”, but the most important thing to do is listen and encourage them to talk about their feelings. And, as we talked, I found that my sweet son was being as comforting to me as I was trying to be to him.

I was trying to explain to him about how I react to things — I told him about a character in The Secret Life of Bees that I relate to. May Boatright is a complicated personality. Highly sensitive to the pain of others, she carries the weight of the world in her soul. She built a wailing wall in her backyard and goes there when she is upset. And then I told him that I often joke that I need a wailing wall of my own in the backyard.

He looked at me and said, “Mom, you don’t need to build a wailing wall. You have one right here”, and he patted his chest. “God knows what’s in your heart”.

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at this child, who has no idea how wise he is, even though sometimes he still puts his pants on backwards. I thanked him and told him that this was a conversation I will never forget.

I’ve said it before….I take no credit for how awesome he is. But, I do like to share the insights he has. Usually they are funny and light-hearted. Today, I hope his wise words can bring someone else comfort as well.

Feel free to use this post as your own wailing wall. My son and I would be privileged to join you in prayer for everyone affected by the Newtown shooting. And, that means everyone.

My God is bigger than that

December 17, 2012December 17, 2012 / Stephanie / 1 Comment

The emotions are riding high in light of what has happened in Newtown, CT. We all have a lot of opinions about a lot of different things. It seems the only thing that we aren’t divided on is our devastation over the loss of innocent lives.

I’m not here to rant about gun control or mental health…although I do have strong opinions about those things. Among all of the things that people are debating right now, in light of the tragedy, this is the thing that has me the most riled up:

This is one of the most offensive things I have ever seen. And to be clear, I am a Christian.

The argument that the absence an official school prayer time would indirectly (or directly) correlate with a slaughter in an elementary school is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. And, again…I am a Christian.

One of the things I love to do when studying the Bible is to keep an on-going list of God’s attributes as I’m studying a passage. Doing this helps me understand God’s overall character. Understanding God’s character helps me identify when His character is being portrayed falsely. Here is a partial list of the attributes that I’ve listed in my Bible:

Creator

Good

Powerful

Wise

Loving

Omnipotent

Omnipresent

Graceful

Sovereign

Joyful

Forgiving

Truthful

Eternal

Unchanging

Glorious

Faithful

Holy

For the purposes of this post, I want to focus on “omnipresent”.

First, let’s define it:

om·ni·pres·ent

/ˌämnəˈpreznt/

Adjective

(of God) Present everywhere at the same time.
Widely or constantly encountered; common or widespread: “the omnipresent threat of natural disasters”.

As it relates to God, it means this is the attribute of God by which He fills the universe in all its parts and is present everywhere at once. Not a part, but the whole of God is present in every place.

Now, let’s support it with Scripture:

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
(Psalm 139:8 ESV)

“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.
(Jeremiah 23:23-24 ESV)

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!
(1 Kings 8:27 ESV)

…that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
(Acts 17:27 ESV)

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.
(Ephesians 4:10 ESV)

This is a small list, but the conclusion is that, in the simplest terms, there is no place to go where God is not already there.

And, then there is the Christmas story…

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
(Matthew 1:23 ESV)

Christians believe that this is fulfillment of the prophesy laid out in Isaiah:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14 ESV)

The point is this: If you believe God is omnipresent, then you believe God is everywhere. Not everywhere except public schools. He’s not the big bad wolf who is stopped by brick.

I realize that this opens up questions. Questions like, “if God is everywhere, why did this happen”. It’s another blog post (or several) all-together, but I feel like I need to at least address it. I only wish I had a compelling answer. The only thing I can say for sure is that in His mercy and grace and love, God gives us free will. We are not puppets in a grand performance. And, there is unspeakable evil in our broken world. Hence, our desperate need for a Savior. The hope that I personally have is summed up in Revelation 22:20 and is the prayer that I always pray when I am distraught:

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

(Revelation 22:20 ESV)

Back to the t-shirt above. When I see that, I automatically think that whoever believes that doesn’t know the true character of God. To say that God is not in schools is to believe that he is NOT omnipresent.

I’m not trying to be judgmental, although I realize I probably sound that way –and maybe I actually am. But, I’m really trying to point out that when people know you are a Christian, they are watching and listening to what you do and say. And, when you say that God is being controlled by humans, it diminishes your witness.

Finally, there are a lot of people who are sincerely asking the question that the t-shirt asks. Christian, is that the answer you really think that God would give to somebody who is hurting?

Happy Birthday Madelyne

November 24, 2012November 24, 2012 / Stephanie / 3 Comments

Four years ago today, a baby girl was born. Her mother is my husband’s niece, but we had no idea she was even pregnant. Her birthday itself was insignificant to us. I only recall it as the Monday before Thanksgiving and we were expecting a houseful of people. It was sort of an “orphans” holiday per se. Lots of people who were far away from their biological families would be joining us. But, I considered them as much my family as any blood relative.

Through a series of magnificent events, within 24 hours, the aforementioned baby was in our care and we spent Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family who would become a significant part of her life even though she may never know it. Just like us, those people welcomed her into their lives….cared for her and loved her in the same way that they did us and our 9 year old son. It was a beautiful picture of a family being knit together, not necessarily by blood, but by love.

While Madelyne is no longer living with us, she is forever in our hearts. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of her and miss her. Time and distance has dulled the pain of letting her go, but the love in our hearts is still strong.

And as for the people who came alongside us during that time…..it’s hard to express my gratitude in words. It’s been said that you find out who your friends are in times of trial. Sometimes that means that people you thought might be there for you aren’t. In this case, we experienced the opposite. The outpouring of love and support still humbles me.

This Thanksgiving was different. We spent it with people who, 4 years ago, I never could have imagined knowing, but who have become dear friends. But, I found myself missing those people from that 2008 Thanksgiving more than usual. I remembered the food that they brought to my house that day. I remember the conversations vividly. I remember people passing the baby around, giving her the love she so deserved and that I believe continues to live in her and sustain her. It certainly lives in and sustains us.

Happy Birthday, Miss Baby. You didn’t just change our lives….you changed the lives of countless others in so many ways. You belong to a whole community of people who you may never know, but who are knit together by the shared experience of loving you.

5 for Angi

November 21, 2012November 21, 2012 / Stephanie / 2 Comments

I was starting to write a post about how Thanksgiving is a weird holiday for me. I was prepared to lament a little bit about how the ghost of Thanksgiving past sometimes interferes with my ability to fully enjoy Thanksgiving present.

Then, this link showed up on my Facebook feed through a friend of mine.

5forAngi

It took my breath away for a moment. As I poked around and found the Facebook page, I saw something that Angi had posted:

I really don’t know what to say about this; thank you from the bottom of my heart to Kristi Haivala and Matt Wilczynski for creating this fundraiser. I am humbled, grateful, speechless, blessed.
Kristi and Matt couldn’t have known the timing of this; One year ago today I received a phone call from the pulmonary oncologist’s office confirmin

g that the suspicious mass biopsied in my lung was not lung cancer but instead metastatic melanoma. Some cells escaped from the skin melanoma I had surgery for the year before and nested in my lung. Just like with 9-11-01, I can remember exactly where I was when she called – Joe was midturn pulling the van into Memorial Sloan’s parking garage for us to meet with her and Dr. Adusumilli. She called me out of courtesy to give me time to mentally prepare for our meeting. That evening I found out that my furnace room was the most noise proofed room in our house, no one was able to hear me break down in there. It took Joe a little bit to find me, i can even remember the anguish in his face as he pulled me off the ground. It’s been a rough year. I learned a lot about myself – my strengths, my pain threshold, my faith, my weaknesses, but most importantly, just how blessed I am. – and I realized how much I actually liked my unruly red hair, it takes having something taken away to fully appreciate it! :)I would like to humbly ask my friends if you could share this link on your Facebook page. I can’t work right now, I wanted to go back to work so I could take care of this upcoming copay, math tutoring at least, but my health is too unpredictable thanks to the side effects of my medicine. As you guys have read in my posts, I’ll get one glorious evening of feeling ‘normal’ and then get a week of payback in bed.I thank you in advance, thank my friends that have already shared this before I even woke up today, and especially thank Matt and Kristi for creating this. Kristi I love you, I’m sorry the stupid cancer cancelled my trip to see you and Gina, I pray we’ll see each other soon. Thank you everyone, and thank you for everyone who has prayed for me this past year, sent me notes and touching gifts (Jaime the orchid is still alive, sort of!), and who has offered me encouraging words to continue fighting even on the days I just wanted to crawl in a hole and cry. I’ve never fought something like this, its surreal, and pray none of my family and friends ever have to. Love, me

I don’t know Angi. But, from the little bit I have gleaned about her from reading her story, I know I would like her. And, come on…who wouldn’t want to be friends with this girl:

But, I know what it’s like to spend Thanksgiving in a hospital, unsure of what the year ahead will hold. I know what it’s like to watch your best friend battle cancer at a young age. I know what it’s like to be a mother and how fiercely you love your children. I can’t for even one second pretend to know what it’s like to be a mother facing this kind of illness. I can’t imagine having to make a decision like deployment during war time in order to pay for medication. It’s not right. Joe needs to be home with his family.

This Thanksgiving, as you prepare to feast around a table with family and friends and give thanks for all of the things that you have to be thankful for, I hope you’ll remember Angi and her family in your prayers. And, before you go out shopping on Black Friday, or better yet, Small Business Saturday, I hope you’ll consider sending $5 to help Angi and her family.

For most of us, $5 is so little that we spend it without thinking. For her, it could mean a life-saving treatment with her husband by her side.

Donate today!

Thanks for making a difference.

Meet Angi

Happy Thanksgiving.

Social Distortion

November 8, 2012November 8, 2012 / Stephanie / Leave a comment

I’m not spitting mad anymore. Now, I vacillate between amusement, dismay, happiness and more dismay.

I am happy with the outcome of Tuesday’s election. That’s about as much as you’ll see or hear me “gloat”. As I stated in my last post — everybody has a story that shapes their world view. Our stories are shaped by our families, our friends and our own experiences. And, these are quite likely to change as our lives progress. I had a conversation with someone recently who had never considered my position on the issue of health care simply because she had never been in my position — having a child with a complex medical history and making job decisions based on health insurance. At 24 and being a recent college graduate, there’s no way she could ever know the sleepless nights that a parent has wondering how to pay medical bills that aren’t covered because you’ve already reached your insurance cap. But, I appreciate that she acknowledged that and admitted that it shed a different light on her previous views. We had a civil, rational conversation in which minds were not changed but we treated each other with respect.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all of my interactions lately. Several of the blogs I read blame social media for the post-election ugliness that we are seeing (from all sides). We forget that there are actual people with actual feelings on the other side of our computer screen or smart phone. Even when we know those people personally and have an affection for them outside of this social media context, we forget that very often, they can see what we do and say, even if it’s not directly to them. And, hard as we try not to let it, it changes our relationships.

The day after the election, I posted this on my Facebook timeline:

I even tried to temper it with some humor…adding that I do draw the line at baseball. But, I still began to see my feed fill up with things that I can only describe as hateful. And, then I go down this scary path of asking myself if I really can uphold this noble wisdom from Thomas Jefferson.

Social media tends to blur the lines of friendship, in my opinion. In some cases, we think we know people better than we perhaps do, because we get peeks into their personal lives on a regular basis. In other cases, we see different sides of people that we may not see in our regular interactions. Both can have their pros and cons. The biggest con that I’ve seen and experienced is that it tends to make people say and do things that they might not normally say and do in your actual presence.

I tend to use a lot of sarcasm and humor on Facebook. I do this because 1) I tend to be sort of sarcastic in “real life” and 2) I am keenly aware of the incredibly diverse group of people that make up my friends list on Facebook. By most people’s standards, I’m pretty much an open book. I don’t mind if the Washington Post tells you which articles I read and I am not too squeamish about the pictures I post or personal information I give because I do it knowing that it’s there forever. I have a list of people (mostly kids, including my own) that don’t seen certain status updates. Before I hit post on any status update, I consider it from a variety of different standpoints because, as I stated before, I have a wide variety of friends who don’t always know where I am coming from. And, I’ve had people ask…which is wonderful. It gives me a chance to share my story with them and to also learn more about theirs. And, I’ve never considered religion, politics or philosophy as a reason not to have somebody in my Facebook feed.

Until now.

In my “real life”, I tend to surround myself with people who I like and have fun with. In a lot of cases, they are people who I align with politically. In a lot of cases, they aren’t. In some cases, they are people I align with from a religious standpoint (although I hate that word…. “religious”) and in far more many cases, they aren’t. In some cases, they are people who’ve come into my life under a set of specific circumstances while in others, they are lifelong friends. Whatever the case may be, they are people who I love for a variety of different reasons and every one of them drives me crazy from time to time (much less than the number of times I drive them crazy, I am sure), but I still love and cherish them because I have a relationship with them that is built on respect and admiration and authentic kindness.

The question is what to do with it? The answer can’t be to just hide or un-friend them all. It can’t be to limit my interactions to only those people whom I described above, because then nobody else would ever enter that circle. I’ve been able to deepen relationships as well as get to know new friends in ways that might not have otherwise been possible without a platform like Facebook. The wit and humor and wisdom from others isn’t worth giving up. I guess I’m left with taking the advice I always give to my 13 year old: “Just ignore them”.

The other day, I said “don’t be a jerk”. Now, I’m just asking that you be kind. Consider your words carefully because in the same way they can lift people up, they can also be very hurtful.

I used to like you, Tim Tebow

November 6, 2012November 6, 2012 / Stephanie / Leave a comment

It’s been several weeks since I have posted and honestly today probably isn’t the day I should be dipping my toes back in the proverbial water. I’ve had a fever for over a week and cough so hard I nearly pee my pants. So, I guess that can serve as a disclaimer — or a warning.

I don’t normally talk about work online, but for the purposes of this post, it helps to know what I do for a living. I’ve been a media buyer for 20 years. Basically, when you see a commercial on TV or hear one on the radio, somebody like me has purchased that airtime. I’ve worked for a variety of different clients over the years, but most recently I’ve worked for a political firm. We represent political candidates as well as political action committees (PACs). So….those ads that you are so sick of? Firms like mine make a living making sure those ads are on the air. I’ve had people say some rotten things to me about what I do, but I am under no illusion that anything I do personally has any deciding factor in any election. What I do know is that I’m good at my job and I work for a decent company run by good people.

Working in this business has made me a little cynical about…well, everything political. It’s also taught me to take things with a grain of salt and find the humor in it all. That’s been a survival tool on Facebook in recent weeks. I’ve done my best to ignore things that I don’t agree with and not engage in “debates”. I try not to post anything that will be personally offensive to anyone. I admit that I did laugh at and share some memes that came out about binders full of women and horses and boyonets. There are some seriously funny people out there. I was AMAZED at how quickly this stuff hit the internet.

and my personal favorite:

In my opinion, these are funny. They poke fun at the candidates and expose how insane the whole election process has become. And honestly, if we didn’t have a filter of snarkiness to view this all though, how would we ever survive it?

What I don’t like is when these memes become personal. They attack people for their beliefs and make assumptions about people based on their party affiliation. And, they are usually wrong. We all have a story that shapes our world view. I became accustomed to just ignoring this stuff. And, then last night this started showing up on my FB feed in various forms:

I will be voting early today — for President Obama — but it won’t be because I don’t have a job. It’ll be because I damn near killed myself working my ass of during this election season and I’m taking a few days off to try and recover from pneumonia. Yeah, that’s me taking it a little more personally than I should. And, you might be sitting there wondering about that sense of humor that I was talking about earlier. I just don’t find this funny. I find it mean and offensive. And not true. And, it’s honestly the first thing that has made me spitting mad during the last several weeks.

You vote for your guy and I’ll vote for mine. But, for the love of the America that our Founding Fathers fought for and dreamed of, don’t be a jerk.

*Yes, I realize that @thetimmytebow is a parody account. If I have to explain the title, you aren’t going to get it anyway.

Happy Constitution Day

September 17, 2012September 18, 2012 / Stephanie / 1 Comment

You did know that the Constitution was signed on September 17th, didn’t you?

It’s also Jake’s 13th birthday. He wasn’t supposed to arrive on this day. I had other plans. You see, on September 17th, 1999, I was only 32.5 weeks pregnant and was supposed to be having a baby shower. Honestly though, nothing had gone according to plan up to that point, (nor has it since), so I can’t say that it was all that surprising. And in retrospect, it was a perfect day for Jake, lover of all things history, to come into the world.

I really wasn’t going to post anything today, as I got the sap out in Friday’s entry. And, I think it’s probably clear how much I adore my son since I talk about him every so often. But, then my friends started wishing him a “Happy Birthday” on Facebook and one pointed out that this is the anniversary of me becoming and mommy….and another thanked him for being born so that she and I could be friends. And, then I read the list of people that were “liking” and commenting and realized that so many of them have come into my life because I had a baby on September 17th, 1999. This list of people, many of whom were strangers 14 years ago, are now people I cannot imagine my life without. Some of them I met on the internet, in virtual “playgroups”, some of them are parents of his friends who have become some of my closest friends, some of them are his teachers and mentors and pastors. Some are even relatively new friends who have still had a major impact on his life. Each one has played a vital role in his life — and mine.

And then there are the people who were there before he was born. The people who knew us before we ever decided to be parents. The people who loved us and helped make us the people we were on September 17, 1999 when this new little life came into the world. They are the people who took time on their lunch hours to bring me food and visit me as I endured weeks of bed-rest. And, the real saints who spent their vacations visiting me and keeping me company during that time. They helped us move into a new house in August…in Phoenix. They filled our hospital room with so many flowers after Jake was born that we began to give them to other new mommies in the pod. They welcomed him and have loved him and cherished him almost as much as we do.

And then there are people who aren’t here anymore. Relatives who never even got to meet him, but who I see everyday in his face. Others who did get to spend some time with him, but who only live on in stories that he loves to hear about them. And Julie. His auntie, not by blood, but certainly by love…who was the first non-relative to visit us in the hospital and who I wish so badly could have been here to teach him all the really fun stuff. She would have loved his sense of humor.

Indeed, it takes a village to raise a child. I’m grateful beyond words for our village. I know that you know who you are, if you are reading this. Thank you for being there for us as parents…and for him…for loving him and encouraging him and for being part of his story so far. You’ve made a difference in his life. As I told another friend of mine today….he’s your kiddo, too. And, I’m glad because there’s no way we could have done this without you.

“I had such a good birthday, I’m going to have wrinkles from smiling so much.”

Teenage Dream

September 14, 2012September 14, 2012 / Stephanie / 3 Comments

My son turns 13 on Monday. In and of itself, this is unreal to me. First of all, I still think I’m 28, so I am not old enough to have a 13 year old. Secondly, my pregnancy (and the pregnancies that came before him) and the first year of his life were scary. The fact that he had a first birthday was a miracle, so a 13th birthday is…well, a miracle.

My husband is a great dad. He doesn’t always know it though. He has no memory of actually living in the same house with his own father. That is his story, but I say that to illustrate a point and that is that he didn’t always have a role model to learn from. And, as all parents know, kids don’t come with instructions. We quickly learned to hate parenting books (oh, now there’s an idea for a blog post) and we’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way. Fortunately, I don’t think they have caused any real permanent damage.
Anyway, despite any insecurities my husband has about fatherhood, I am here to tell you that he is amazing. And, here’s how I know: we have a great kid.

Last night, we had Back to School night at Jake’s middle school. One of the teachers asked us to write down one thing about our child that makes us smile. Lloyd wrote about the joy that Jake displays on a regular basis. He’s a joyful kid with a great attitude. He loves life. And, it’s true — he does. People comment all the time about his infectious smile. Then this morning, somebody in my Facebook feed posted this quote:

Children learn to smile from their parents.

~Shinichi Suzuki

Now, I know that I can’t take credit for most of the awesome personality traits that my son has. But, as I thought about that quote…I thought, “YES! We can take some credit for that one!”. We have always tried to maintain a happy household (even when there wasn’t a lot to smile about). And, it shows in our son’s face. If you had asked me before he was born what one trait I would want my child to have, I would have said that I wanted him to be happy.

Back to my husband and what a great dad he is. He’s always made sure to carve out special one-on-one time to spend with Jake. When we lived in Olympia, they would spend Saturday mornings going to Twister Donuts and then to the library. Here in Maryland, they don’t have a regular routine, but they still regularly spend time together. Jake will even speak up when he’s craving some Dad/Son time. It can be anything from going to a Nationals game together to just hanging out at Game Stop. Despite all that, he’s been wanting to take Jake on a road trip….just the guys…for a while.

A few weeks ago, I realized that Jake’s birthday falls on Rosh Hashanah, which in Montgomery County is a school holiday. Then, I heard Lloyd and Jake talking about wanting to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame someday…maybe when Ken Griffey Jr. is eligible for induction. So I told Lloyd that he should take Jake there for his birthday weekend. Just the two of them.

This afternoon, Lloyd picked Jake up early from school and told him they were headed to Cooperstown. Jake was crying tears of happiness when he called me. I’m not even going and I’m so excited for them that it gives me butterflies in my stomach. Yes, I wish I was going, but I’m glad they are going together. And, they’ll take lots of pictures and tell me all about it, but it will be something that only they share. It’s something neither one of them will ever forget. And, it is the perfect prologue to this new chapter in the Story of Us.

I am so proud of the kid that Jake is and the man that he is becoming. And, I’m eternally grateful for Lloyd who is his greatest role model. If Jake is half the man that his father is, he will be amazing.

Round 2 of the birthday celebration will be watching the Dodgers play the Nationals on Tuesday — and yes, I get to go to that! 🙂 Lloyd’s a lifelong Dodger fan, so it’s a bit of a rivalry in our house, but he also just bought Nationals season tickets, so we forgive him.