CONGRATULATIONS JON, MARY, & VERA!

Alton Lane born February 15, 2009 5lbs 15ozs and 19.5 inches.

Thank God for Dave Matthews, Missy Elliot, and Jason Mraz!

What could those three possibly have in common? Come on...think about it! Another hint--the same thing Bruce Hornsby, June Carter Cash, Sandra Bullock, and Wayne Newton have in common. Still can't get it? One more try---Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, and Chris Brown.

If you haven't gotten it by now, I will go ahead and tell you that they are all Virginians or all claim Virginia as their home. Now...why am I thanking God for Dave, Missy, and Jason? I just selected a few of my favorites to commend for NOT being like Michael, Plaxico, and Chris. The past 2 years have not been favorable for some of Virginia's celebrities, Michael Vick kills pit bulls, Plaxico carries illegal weapons and shoots himself in NY nightclubs, and Chris beats the crap out of his girlfriend Rhianna. Let me be amongst the first of Virginians to say--"WE AIN'T PROUD OF YA, BOYS!" As a matter of fact, we are downright angry with you--well at least I am. The three of you had it all--talent, respect, loyal fans, and of course all the cash that comes along with it--and you blew it. Good going. As a fellow Virginian--I am so very disappointed--you guys absolutely suck as representatives of our state and if I were in charge I would probably find some way to legally disassociate you from this great state. We don't need you and we don't want you--take your shenanigans elsewhere.

Luckily, as Virginians, we still have a lot of folks to be proud of--people who seem to be doing well and keeping it clean. Of course, I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, but until we see Dave or Missy in the news doing God only knows what sort of horrible thing--then kudos to them.

Just for fun--Click Here here for a website listing other Virginia celebs, athletes, and historical figures.

Every Mom Deserves a Blog!

My Mom is the greatest Mom on the face of the planet. I am SO lucky to have her in my life and I love her so much. We honor our mothers every Mother's Day, (which coincidentally is the day after my due date :o) but I want to make sure my Mom gets her due EVERY day--not just on one day of the year.

A little about my mom: She went back to school the year I went to kindergarten, which would have made her about 36 years old. She completed nursing school and community college in two years--which normally takes about 4 years. She became a RN at what used to be Danville Memorial Hospital in the critical care unit.
Both of my parents have always done WHATEVER it took to provide for our family-and that typically meant working ridiculously long and tedious hours. We were never a rich family, but I promise that was never anything in the world I ever wanted or needed that was not provided to me.
Throughout the years my mom has continued to work long hours to provide for each and every one of her children and grandchildren. She has obtained her CCRN and worked herself into a nurse management position. My mom is dependable, caring, and hardworking.
When my Mom turned 43 she gave birth to my baby sis, Kaitlyn. I witnessed one of the most difficult times in her life physically. She was SO sick for the entire 9 months--dehydrating twice and having to go to the hospital twice to receive IV fluids. Imagine how scary it was for me at age 11 to see my Mom pass out in the hallway of our house! (This is one reason I tell myself each day that my pregnancy could be worse!) Kaitlyn was born and Mom gave her the middle name Faith, saying that it took a lot of faith to get her here. (Hence, our daughter's name, Addison Faith)
Mom always wanted to have 3 children, she and my father prayed and prayed that God would bless them with 3 of us. She laughs saying that God gave them what they wanted, just on his timeline and not hers. We have all three decades, the 70's (Karen), 80's (me), and the 90's (Kaitlyn) on lock down! There is a 21 year difference between Karen and Kaitlyn.
This past year my Mom turned 60 years old. She barely looks as if she is out of her 40's, but nonetheless she turned 60 and works just as hard has ever. She battles with physical pain, arthritis, foot problems, lower back pain, and acid reflux on a daily basis, but it doesn't stop her from working hard. She is also beginning to work on her BSN and started an independent study college course just last week to get her started.
If ever a person could be described as selfless, it is my Mom. She has gone without and done without her entire life to make sure that nobody else in the family would have to go wanting.
If one day I can look back on my life and say that I worked half as hard as my mother and loved my family half as much as she loved us then I will have lived a successful life filled with endless love.




Now--since I am honoring my mom, I also need to mention that I now have a mother-in-law who is also wonderful. Addison is going to be one lucky little girl to have a Nana and a Nine (pronounced Nee-Nay)in her life.