I realize this may not be much of a revelation to you, but after four months of blogging I feel like I can officially call myself a blogger. I mean, let’s face it, I have come a long ways since my first post.
Here are some of the reasons I now consider myself to be a blogger.
1. I have written many entries that I am very proud of. Like this one and this one!
2. I have also been a guest blogger! Click here if you missed it.
8. People actually read what I write! And some of them are not related to me!
9. I have had two guest bloggers write entries for the Saturday Sound Off. This one and this one. (If you would like to be a guest blogger, let me know!)
10. I drive my hubby crazy by talking about blogging all the time!
For me, the best part of being a blogger is the enjoyment I get out of it! I have connected with so many people who I never would never have had the opportunity to connect with otherwise. I wish I could list everybody here, but I would hate to miss anyone and I am pretty certain that you all know who you are. So a big thanks to everyone who has helped me become a blogger, either through answering a gazillion questions from me about blogging (Ahem, Jackie at WritRams) or by reading and commenting on my blog posts. You are all appreciated!
A few weeks ago we had a nasty but short-lived storm pass through the city we live in. Obviously, it was no hurricane Irene but it was strong enough to cause our power to go out. And for whatever reason, whenever we lose power it is ALWAYS out for at least 24 hours. On top of our power outage luck, I have a horrible track record of going grocery shopping the day before we lose power. In the seven years that we have lived in our house, we have had to throw away all the perishables from our fridge & freezer five times due to power outages. I’m just that lucky.
I waited about an hour after the power went out, before I texted the hubby at work to alert him of the news. That was when I discovered I only had one bar of battery left on my phone. Again, I have awesome luck! And no, I do not have a land-line. Why would I ever need one of those? I immediately received a text back from the hubby that said, “I am tired of this! I am buying a generator on my way home!” A small part of me wanted to tell him not to buy one, as generators are expensive, but the side of me who threw away 5 fridges / freezers worth of food said, “Let him get the generator!”
While Brennen and I waited patiently for the hubby to get home (and by patiently I mean, Brennen drove my crazy because he couldn’t watch TV even though if the power had been one he wouldn’t have wanted to) I used the remaining battery life in my phone to find a friend who had power so I could give Brennen his breathing treatment. Brennen has asthma (although not officially diagnosed) and receives pulmicort through a nebulizer on a nightly basis.
When the hubby finally got home, he went to work assembling the generator, putting gas in it etc. After hoisting it onto our back porch the hubby plugged in a few necessities like our fridge, a light, the tv and even our neighbor’s fridge. The hubby was super proud of his accomplishment, he saved his family from the difficulties of a power outage!
And then 5 minutes later . . . the power came back on!
When our son was born, my husband and I both reached the same decision about co-sleeping, we were not going to do it. For us, the risks far outweighed the benefits. We feared that we would roll over onto Brennen or that one of our dogs would jump on him. Not to mention, we didn’t want him to become accustomed to only sleeping with us, we wanted him to sleep in his own bed. Our plan actually worked for quite some time, except for the occasional cat nap we took with him when we were desperate for sleep. As an infant he slept in his bouncer until he transitioned to his crib. After the crib he got a cool fire truck bed that he loved. When he turned three, we got him this awesome twin bed!
I enjoy all genre’s of music, but I LOVE country music. Country music has been a part of my life ever since I was a kid. I remember staying overnight at my grandparent’s house and waking up in the morning to the sound of country music playing on their radio. I would just lie in bed and listen to the music, it made me feel overwhelmingly content.
My dad was probably the biggest country music fan I have ever met. And an even bigger Garth Brooks fan. He had every Garth Brooks tape that was ever released (yes, it was tapes back then, not CD’s). Because of him I know the words to every single Garth Brooks song! Unfortunately, my dad passed away when I was 13 years old, he was 32 and died unexpectedly of a heart attack. As the years went by after my dad’s passing, I drifted away from country music and instead favored pop music from groups like New Kids on the Block, just like my friend’s did. But I never drifted away from Garth Brooks. I am a true believer in the power of music, a specific song or artist can take you back to a special time in your life. At any point, I could pop in a Garth Brooks tape and instantly my dad was with me again. Even 19 years later, Garth can still take me back to a simpler and more carefree time in my life.
My favorite picture of my Dad and me!
Unfortunately, my dad never had the opportunity to see Garth in concert. If he did, I know that he would have been beside himself with excitement as just watching videos of Garth performing live got him fired up. Once Garth retired from touring, I thought that I would never get to see him perform live either. However, I had my first opportunity to see Garth in 2007 when he was performing a week-long series of concerts. Despite the intense urge I had to see Garth in concert, I was very pregnant with Brennen at the time and I had endured a pregnancy full of complications. Traveling to the concert was out of the question for me and I was truly bummed. I figured I would probably never get the chance to see Garth again. However, in December of 2010, I finally got to see Garth live. He was in Nashville playing a series of concerts to benefit the flood victims. It was a dream come true for me. And as corny as it sounds, it was everything I had imagined and more. I cried many times that night. Some tears were out of joy and some were out of sadness for my dad. My tears were especially heavy when Garth played, ‘The Dance,’ the song that without hesitation brings my relationship with my dad to life. At the end of the concert, I did not want to leave. For those few hours I became a little girl listening to Garth Brooks with my dad and all was right with the world. It was a magical experience that I will never forget.
If you are a Garth Brooks fan you know that he has a one man show in Vegas at the Wynn. If you follow my blog, you know that I will be in Vegas in December to run my first half marathon in the Rock ‘n Roll series of races. I have been anxiously waiting for Garth to announce his concert dates for December. Currently they have only been announced through November. To say that I would like to see him again is an understatement. I am hoping that the universe will align for me and Garth will announce a concert for 12/3/11. It’s not like I can just go to Vegas on a separate occasion to see him. Between making arrangements for someone to watch Brennen, securing the time off of work and allotting money for all the expenses - one trip is all we can manage. However, I can guarantee that if my dad has any pull, he will see to it that I see Garth in Vegas.
On the off-chance that Garth is reading this, or someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Garth is reading this . . .Please, please, please have a concert on December 3rd. It would truly mean the world to me!
If you read my post about going to the Selfridge Air Show, you may be wondering what other activities we had planned that caused us to leave the air show so early. Brennen had a friend’s birthday party to attend and a sleepover at another friend’s house. The hubby and I had tickets to the Goin’ Coastal concert featuring Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington & Uncle Kracker at Ford Field in Detroit. We are huge country music fans!
Thanks to a friend who took Brennen to the birthday party and then later dropped him off for the sleepover, the hubby and I were able to go 99.5 WYCD’s Beach Bash just outside of Ford Field. Here is what it looked like when we got downtown.
You better believe that there are TONS of country music fans in Detroit! The hubby even decided that he wanted to look the part and bought his first cowboy hat!
My Cowboy
We also checked out an up and coming country band from Detroit (Yep, I said Detroit!) called AnnaBelle Road, who was playing on the 99.5 WYCD Beach Bash stage. The hubby and I both LOVED them. The band had great stage presence and chemistry. The lead singer had an amazing voice and the fiddler player was unbelievable. Annabelle Road sang a few of their own songs, like ‘What Goodbye Looks Like’ and popular songs by other artists, like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’. The band also led a giant line dance to prove to the world that Detroit loves country music just as much as any other place. The hubby and I were happy participants. We have yet to see the video on You Tube so, I don’t think we are going to be stars anytime soon. Bummer! The hubby and I are hooked on Annabelle Road and plan on following them as they grow (we are hoping to catch them at Arts, Beats & Eats) and I guarantee they will be well-known in country music land in no time!
Once we entered Ford Field for the concert I was taken aback by how beautiful the stadium was. I was almost ashamed to call myself a Detroiter since I had not stepped foot into Ford Field till this past weekend. It was very modern and clean. Even more shocking was the high level of service that we received from every employee that we encountered. They were all very friendly, polite and helpful. The beer vendor in our section was especially memorable! He was dancing and singing along with the crowd. You could tell that he loved his job! Kudos to the entire Ford Field staff and especially to those responsible for the training of the employees! Job well done!
As far as the concert goes, I really could go on and on about how fabulous it was. Afterall, I have rated it the 2nd best concert I have ever been too (Sorry, Kenny, nobody will ever top Garth Brooks) and at 6 hours long it was the longest concert I have ever been to. However, I will try to keep my recap concise and just go over the highlights of the show. Uncle Kracker was the first to come on stage and he wowed the crowd with many of his favorites. He also played Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’, one of my favorite songs that reminds me about summertime in northern Michigan. And no, Kid Rock did not join him on stage. Next up was Billy Currington. I was surprised that I knew so many of his songs as he was the artist that I felt like I was the least familiar with. My hubby’s favorite song of his is, ‘I’m pretty good at drinking beer,’ of course!. He also played Hank Williams Jr’s song ‘Family Tradition’ which got the crowd pretty fired up. The next act to come on stage is one of my favorite country bands, the Zac Brown Band! They played many of their own songs, including my favorite, ‘Chicken Fried.’ They also sang ‘America the Beautiful’ and then got everyone in Ford Field stomping their feet to the ’The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ by The Charlie Daniels Band. I honestly didn’t think I could like the Zac Brown Band anymore than I already did, but I was wrong. The lead singer addressed the crowd and thanked everyone for spending their hard-earned money on tickets to the concert. The message of thanks resonated with every person in that stadium whether they were a Detroiter or not, but I felt it was an important thing to say to a city with such a bad economy. I am sure you can imagine who came on stage after Zac Brown Band. . . . Kenny Chesney!!! What’s not to love about him?!?! He is a great performer, a wonderful singer and genuine good guy. He surprised the crowd by soaring onto stage via a zipline type apparatus from the other side of the stadium, high above the crowd. He sang all of my favorite songs, including his new hit that I can’t get enough of, ‘You and Tequila.’ He had a great rapport with the crowd as he encouraged everyone to sing along and told lots of stories in between most of his songs. The message that stuck with me the most came before he sang ‘The Boys of Fall.’ He stressed the importance of kids being involved in sports or other extra-curricular activities to keep them on the straight and narrow. I could not agree more. At the end of playing ‘The Boys of Fall,’ Desmond Howard came on stage and the crowd went nuts. I had no idea who Desmond Howard was or why everyone went crazy for him. After being educate by the hubby, I learned that Desmond Howard played football at the University of Michigan and won the Heisman Trophy in 1991. It was a fitting way to end the song and Kenny scores extra points with me for selecting a Michigan athlete to come on stage! Although the concert was the longest one I had ever been to, it flew by! Like most concerts, this one also had an encore. However, unlike most concerts, the encore lasted for another 45 minutes – 1 hour. I feel bad for the poor saps who left when they “thought” the concert was over. Here’s a tip, never leave at what you think is the end of a concert, there is almost always an encore. During the encore Kenny sang various songs with each opening act individually and at the very end of the concert they all came on stage together. There are no words to describe how I felt at the end of the night! It was an awesome concert!
Who wears the hat better? You be the judge . . .;)
There are tons of other things I could discuss here, like the older ladies near our section who were wearing red cowgirl hats who seemed to have an unending line of young guys giving them attention or the artist by the name of Sonia Leigh who joined Zac Brown Band on stage to sing one of her songs with a beautiful voice that was marred by her bieber like haircut that I just couldn’t get past. Or the fact that I still can’t shake a habit from my younger years of stopping at Taco Bell after a night of adult beverages. But some things will just have to be left unsaid . . .
Have you been to Goin’ Coastal? If so, how was your experience? If you are not a country music fan, what is your most favorite concert that you have ever attended?
On Saturday my family and I went to a great FREE family friendly event, the Selfridge Air Show! This was actually Brennen’s first time at the show as it only happens once every other year and two years ago it was too rainy and cold for us to go. The air show is held at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base (SANGB) just a short drive from our house. Ironically, we did not see much of the flying part of the show as we had other plans early in the afternoon, but we certainly enjoyed all the on-ground activities.
There were a variety of aircrafts on the base that were available for us to walk around and look at. Some of them were even open so you could go inside them.
While we were walking around there was a plane overhead using the sky as a giant chalkboard.
And much to Brennen’s delight, the pilot also drew a smiley face.
The air show also had several bounce houses and other inflatables for the kids to play in. Brennen was a big fan of the bounce house and the hubby and I were a big fan of the cost of letting him bounce to his heart’s content. FREE!!! Did I mention that there was no admission price to get into the show too?!?!
One of my favorite parts of the air show was when the Star Spangled Banner came on over the loud-speaker and EVERY person stopped what they were doing and looked at the flag coming down from the sky.
We were disappointed that we had to leave 30 minutes after the flying part of the air show started since we were all having a great time. And I am 100% certain that we were the first ones to leave as the person directing traffic had to confer with someone before he could direct us to the location of the exit. But we will definitely be back to the show in 2013 and you should make plans to attend too!
On a sad note, the second day of the air show involved the tragic death of a wing walker who fell 200 feet from his aircraft when his stunt went array. My thoughts and prayers and with his family and friends during this difficult time. Click here to read more.
Please give a warm welcome to Melissa Radke who is today’s guest blogger for the Saturday Sound Off. Melissa is new to blogging. In fact, this is her first post, EVER! Melissa is the mother of five beautiful children who range in age from two months to seven years old. Melissa describes herself as a RN / Med Student / Mother / Father (when her husband is at sea) / Sailor’s Wife / Pet Handler and when time allows, a grieving mother. She currently resides in Virginia where he husband is stationed but her heart will always be in California and Hawaii.
James Landon Jase Radke
It has been one year and six months since I last saw, held, kissed and hugged our son, James Landon Jase. He was born with TGA, transposition of the great arteries. Although it was caught shortly after he was born, he had several complications which led him to passing away less than a month after he was born. As you can imagine, I was a big mess like any mother would be after losing her newborn child.
My husband and I were not ready to say goodbye, no parent should ever have to say goodbye to their child. Children are supposed to out live their parents, not the other way around. Eventually we had to decide whether we wanted to bury or cremate or son. The thought of having to bury him was like forcing my husband and I to say goodbye to him. It just didn’t feel right to us. We ended up cremating him and placing his ashes on a shelf in our room, watching over us. And yes, we were both okay with having his ashes in our bedroom. It gave us the feeling of completion having him close by.
After months of trying to grieve, we finally reached a day where we accepted that our son was gone and was not coming back. Coincidentally, on that same day we found out we were pregnant once again. My husband and I went through every single emotion that you can think of. And believe it or not, getting pregnant actually helped make the grieving process more manageable. Not easier or harder, but manageable.
The day James Hu’elani Kahikeilani was born, I felt some of my stress melting away. However, I still had the anxiety of not knowing if he was going to live, if he was healthy and if he would out live his big brother. So many questions ran through my mind, it was overwhelming at times. It took exactly 17 days to realize that our newborn son was not going anywhere. He was healthy and was here to stay. He has helped me to appreciate what we have now as opposed to what we have lost. I have learned to love in a different way. A love that I surely don’t take for granted any more. If I could say one thing to our son who has passed, I would tell him that mommy is ok but my love for him will never end.
James Hu'elani Kahikeilani Radke
If you are interested in being a guest blogger on a future Saturday Sound Off, please email me at bamoats@gmail.com. I am open to bloggers and non-bloggers alike!
Last week I took Brennen to get fitted for his AFOs. I was a little nervous about the appointment because I wasn’t sure how Brennen would react. However, the appointment went great! I am so thankful that we switched to the orthotist that Brennen’s neurologist recommended. It made a world of difference!
The new location we went to was way more kid friendly than the previous place we had visited. This location had a very large waiting room full of toys and a TV that was playing Madagascar. Just hanging out in the waiting room instantly put Brennen at ease. Even the individual patient rooms were kid friendly! They were painted in vibrant colors and each one had a TV, also playing Madagascar.
But by far, the best thing about the appointment was Brennen’s new orthotist. He was amazing with Brennen. He introduced himself to Brennen, engaged Brennen in conversation and explained everything to Brennen in terms that he could understand. Brennen was comfortable with him right from the start!
Surprisingly, upon examining Brennen’s feet and legs, the orthotist immediately recognized that Brennen was a toe walker (without looking at his chart or seeing him toe walk). The orthotist pointed out that the forefront of Brennen’s feet are wider than normal due to the pressure of the toe walking and his heels are more narrow than other kids his age. This was something that we had never noticed. The orthotist also called attention to Brennen’s body builder sized calf muscles, which we were already aware of.
After the examination, the orthotist showed us a sample AFO and demonstrated how it would prevent Brennen from toe walking. The goal of the AFO is to retrain Brennen’s brain so that it knows to walk heel to toe, instead of toe to toe.
Next the orthotist had to cast Brennen’s legs to make a mold so that the AFO could be custom shaped just for him. I wish I could have taken some pictures to show you the process, but Brennen wanted to sit on my lap while it was being done. First the orthotist put a long sock on each of Brennen’s legs. Then he wrapped wet bandages around Brennen’s legs from the knee to the tips of his toes. After the bandages hardened the casts were cut off. The last part was the fun part, Brennen got to custom design his AFO by picking from a wide variety of colors and patterns. Brennen selected Scooby Doo as the pattern, blue straps and blue pads.
We should be able to pick up the AFOs (or Brennen’s Scooby’s as we have started to call them) in about 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, I have been searching for special AFO socks for Brennen to wear. They are a tad expensive, $8-$12 a pair, but if they make Brennen more comfortable they will be worth it. Brennen will also have to get new shoes once he gets his AFOs as his old shoes are not roomy enough to accommodate the AFOs.
Most of my childhood family vacations were camping trips. But for the ones that involved hotels or relatives houses, I can recall sleeping on the floor many, MANY times! *Gasp* I know, it’s shocking isn’t it?!?! Even more shocking is that despite sleeping on the floor, I am just fine (by my standards anyways).
It amazes me today how many parents say that their kids can not sleep on the floor, under any circumstance. Instead, many parents insist that their kids need a bed of their own to sleep in. I just don’t get it. Kids are resilient, it WILL be okay if they sleep on the floor from time to time. And let’s be honest, a lot of kids could benefit from the humbling experience of being demoted to the floor.
Don’t even get me started about parents who say that brothers and sisters can’t share a bed during family trips . . .
How do you feel about your kid sleeping on the floor? Or did you have to sleep on the floor when you were a kid?
Yep, it’s true! I AM a blogger.
