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.

Taxes. ARGH!

WOULD SOMEONE please explain to me--Don--this means you, since you are my only reader, right now. :o) Why do I feel like I am being taxed twice?????? I took out money from my IRA (without penalty for first time home buyer) and paid the tax on it. Now when I enter my 1099-R it counts as income (I guess in a new bracket) and lowers my tax refund. Is it just me, or does that seem like I am being taxed twice? NO PENALTY withdrawal--YEAH RIGHT!
I have also discovered that I would have been better off NOT working a second part time job this year since I was only taxed $7.10 in federal taxes and $7.01 in state taxes. Thank GOD we bought a house and were able to claim the first time home-buyer credit--or else I would have been paying federal and state taxes in amounts that I would not be able to afford! Granted--without the house I wouldn't have to count the IRA as income. GEEZ. I can't catch a break this year.

I'm going to start writing again!

I woke up this morning and decided...I need to blog. A lot is going on in my life and it will be nice to have an outlet, as well as a chance to share my thoughts, laugh at myself and connect with fellow bloggers.



SO...my wedding was October 11, 2008 and I found out 3 weeks before the wedding that I was pregnant! So...here I am 6 months pregnant with a little girl. We are so excited and cannot wait to meet our little Addison Faith.



Being pregnant has definitely been a test of will and strength for me. When I hear women say they love being pregnant--I wonder if they truly love being pregnant--or because they are now mothers of children whom they love--they look back on the experience as a pleasant one? Maybe a little of both. I can't exactly share the sentiment that I love being pregnant...but what I can share is that I love the child growing inside of me. It isn't something I can easily explain because it is strange loving someone whom you have never met--but I feel her moving around and I know she is there--THAT IS DEFINITELY EVIDENT IN MY GROWING GIGANTIC stomach!

As much as I don't like looking at the scale and seeing it creep up--after a year of diligently working to lose weight and get into shape--and as much as I don't like looking pale--(yes, I know tanning is bad--but I do enjoy having a little color on my skin)--and as much as I feel pain--I still wouldn't trade having the opportunity or loving Addison or being her mommy.

I think it is funny that my last post was about a book on self-image, when I seem to be having a lot of self-image issues right now! Last night, I got home around 9:15pm and I glanced in the mirror by my front door and this is the image I saw standing before me:

That's right Mama Fratelli from The Goonies was staring back at me! I had the greasy hair, the haggard,worn expression, the pasty white skin, and a very defeated look of despair on my face. My husband assures me that I don't really look like this--but I feel like I do. I feel like I am pregnant ALL over my body--I can see it in my face, my belly, my chest...everywhere. So I have decided to channel all of this despair into love for Addison and to start working on a plan. I know I won't be able to jump right back into my 5:30am boot camp work-outs, but I plan on starting slow and working my way back into it--Weight Watchers is the best $40.00 a month I ever spent and I will certainly be giving them a call after Addison arrives. Having a plan makes me feel a little less "Fratelli." In the meantime I will have to settle for a new haircut and an eyebrow waxing!

Body Drama

I was so busy the other night at work, I barely had time to finish the article I was reading in People magazine about Nancy Amanda Redd's new book Body Drama. I was so impressed with what she said in this article, that I went to B&N after work to find this book.
Having a younger teenaged sister has opened my eyes to many new issues facing today's female teenagers. I am in my late 20's and I NEVER dealt with many of the issues that she is facing--or at least not until I was much older. This book covers so many of these issues. I bought the book and mailed it to her.

Nancy Redd, a former Miss Virginia, and Miss America contestant, wrote this book to cover many topics many young girls may be too embarrassed to bring up. I think it is a terrific "manual" for young women.

2 Email Responses to my Midnight Hero!

Ms. Ingram - thank you for your kind remarks concerning the officer who returned your Wachovia ATM card. I am copying Captain Lowe and Lts. Dimitry and Jones as I suspect it may have been a First Precinct officer. If not, I am sure they will notify the proper precinct command.

Again, thank you for your email and have great holidays.

Tom Mitchell
Support Division Manager
Virginia Beach Police Department

Second Response

I am polling my officers in an attempt to determine which officer this may have been.



It is also possible the officer is not assigned to the 1st Precinct but assigned to Special Operations as they also work in uniform and at night.



Hopefully we can determine the officer and get him the recognition this incident deserves.



Thank very much for bringing this to our attention; usually we only hear from folks who are dissatisfied with the officer’s actions.



Once we identify the officer I’ll let you know.



Also, a copy of you email will be placed in their permanent personnel jacket as a letter of recognition.



Captain K.M. Lowe, Jr.

Commanding Officer




It makes me feel good that the person who helped me will get some recognition for his act of kindness. I really hope they are able to find him!