Today I am joining Jo-Lynne's Blog Recap Carnival! Below you will see the first line of the first post of each month of 2009 with a little commentary I couldn't resist plus a few highlights from the month (as always — trying to accomplish too much with one post). Delving into the archives now:
Lindsey and I went to the Artisan's Cafe over the holidays. After a few minutes of conversation, she looked around and said, "This is my favorite place in the whole world — surrounded by art and ice cream."
At the time I was writing for the Philly Moms Blog and this was the beginning of a story I was linking to over there. (I wrote for them until life got a little crazy in January as I became a college professor for Writing for the Media & started writing a frugal column in the local paper and had to let some things go.)
January 2009 Highlights: Became a College Professor, a Columnist for The Phoenix, and an extra in "Law Abiding Citizen" where I met Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx. Ran the first ever Philadephia Metro-West Presbytery PresWIC Prayer retreat and continued doing personal story interviews for Story of My Life.
Today is Groundhog Day! The Official Groundhog site says: …
This post appears to start somewhat academically and then goes into a mental block I was having against laundry. Funny where our minds take us when we ramble. And, I STILL have a mental block to laundry. Go figure. Some things never change.
February 2009 Highlights: Went to Blissdom — my first official blogging conference, met Beth Feldman of Rolemommy at Colleen's house during a girl's night, and learned more and more about teaching students in college (and officially gave up trying to sell Pampered Chef!)
March: What I Learned This Week: BBQ is just so easy!
I have come to LOVE cooking pork BBQ for our family because it is just so easy.
Joining Jo-Lynne's weekly carnival on What I Learned This Week, this post holds one of my first ever VLOGs in which I make BBQ from scratch and share my tips for doing it. My daughter filmed it which is why it is so shaky. I learned to use a tripod after this.
March 2009 Highlights: Went to the Philly Film Festival where we saw Tony Luke Jr. and watched his movie The Nail — in which I was an extra during 2008 as a nurse, planned a tax day TEA party, and learned to use Constant Contact for e-newsletters.
Time to get packed for Spring Break. I have been putting it off all week and now I can't ignore the job any longer.
Looking back at the post, it looks like I was getting overwhelmed trying to continue teaching craft classes at the YMCA AND teach college students. Go figure! Looks like I also gave up volunteer counseling at the local Pregnancy Center about the same time –under the guise of working on my dreams of dedicating more time to fiction writing. Hmmm. . . what happened to that?
April 2009 Highlights: Went to the PresWIC annual leadership training at Covenant College in Lookout Mtn., GA, published my first article in Parenting Squad, held our Tax Day Tea Party with overwhelming support & went skiing in Vail!
I have started writing over at Parenting Squad! New gig, which means my daily blog has been sadly ignored once again.
Here's you see links to a Parenting Squad article, my local column in the Phoenix, and an interview for Story of My Life. Though I was busy teaching, I was determined to keep up my writing online – keeping those skills sharp!
May 2009 Highlights: Attended the mom blogging Hebrew National Picnic, held a Sun & Earth giveaway which prompted me to quit BlogHer ads when they had a problem with a $52 giveaway, played auctioneer at our church's country auction fundraiser, went to the circus with the Feld Family activator program through Mom Central, went to the Survivor Season Finale in NYC, launched my new website DIYFrugal to house my growing number of articles in the paper, and played a villager for several days in "The Last Airbender" which will be in theaters summer 2010.
June: Old Jean Shorts: Lessons from Nehemiah 9
You know summer is coming when you put on your jeans and you begin to feel prickly sweat start to crawl up your shins, defying gravity.
This post relates to life getting out of control before we realize it- like pulling out a pair of old jean shorts from the previous summer and wondering when they got so worn out. I relate this experience to God's grace and starting fresh.
June 2009 Highlights: Met Kelly Ripa at a NYC media event promoting her role as spokesperson for Electrolux's online lemonade stand fundraiser for ovarian cancer research and was an extra in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" with Danny DeVito (though I probably shouldn't admit it) before heading to my parent's house in NC for a couple of weeks where my girls enjoyed horseback riding camp.
Summer vacation, bat infestations, fire ants, peach cobbler, sweet southern tea, horse camp, beach bonfires, alligators . . . where do I begin?
I didn't write too much this month but that pretty much sums it up!
July 2009 Highlights: Did NOT go to BlogHer in Chicago but heard tons about it; took one kid to art camp and another to acting camp (not sure WHERE she got that idea 
before leaving for our annual campmeeting at the cottage grounds.
August: Blog It Forward to Fight Hunger
This month, General Mills and ShopRite are donating one box of cereal to a food bank in ShopRite's trading area for the first 30 people to comment on THIS post.
Here I continue to support good causes as they arise. I think my picture is coming out on a cereal box for this one -hopefully not b/c I am missing (you know, like the milk cartons). Not funny if I have to explain it, is it?
August 2009 Highlights: Came home from campmeeting, attended Right Online 2009, published my first article in the Voice of Grace & Truth, and took the girls to NYC to meet Billy Ray Cyrus who was acting spokesperson for Hellmann's Feeding America fundraiser. There we met Maria Bailey of Mom Select, Mom Talk Radio and BSM Media. We also held a Zhu Zhu pet party for Laura's birthday where we previewed what we didn't realized would become the hottest new toy on the market for Christmas.
September: Burgoon's Theory of Personal Space Violations
Now, it is time to get serious about feeding young minds because I am teaching college and I am supposed to be a little serious about it, you would assume or that is a
t least my theory (systemic, informed set of hunches) about keeping and expanding my job as a professor. So, why is a dog man’s best friend?
Here I attempt to apply one of the theories I was teaching to my everyday life. There were many practical theories but life got so busy trying to learn and teach them that I did little writing during this period and really for the next three months.
September 2009 Highlights: My job at the college triples as I teach Communication Theory, Intro to Digital Media and begin the process of learning how to create an online course for Writing for the Media for the Spring. I also joined several mom bloggers on a trip to NYC to meet Jillian Michaels and learn about her new Wii fit exercise program. Great lady — just wish I could stick to her routine. I need her RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!
October: Max Your Menu: Thank the Lord for Cooking Shortcuts
There are times in life you just need a quick way to get a LOT done. If you can find shortcuts, take them.
About now, I needed some shortcuts!
October 2009 Highlights: Busy, busy, busy keeping up with what we began in September. Girls start practicing for school ballet- The Nutcracker. Wisk sponsors a Bubbles blogging event at my house.
November 2009: Let the Filming Begin!
Ever had one of those AAAHHHHHH moments of sheer joy, sheer excitement, and absolute terrifying fear all at once?! Sounds like a roller coaster ride, doesn't it? Only this is REAL life.
Here I learned that I aced an audition I went to in upstate NY for a TV host of a reality food competition but filming has been postponed for now. Such a fickle business. Whatever. Life is good and busy as it is. It would be fun for this to come through but for now I am focusing on the present and trying to not think about it until it actually happens or I will go NUTS. God is in control!
November 2009 Highlights: Went to NYC to see Bobby Flay sharing tips for the holidays; delved into teaching crunch time and went to NC for Thanksgiving.
December: Do You Have a Facebook Faith?
As I prepared to write an article for our local Christian newspaper, The Voice of Grace & Truth, I asked myself, how can I combine my teaching on digital media at a local college with my faith?
Here I try to apply some of what I have been teaching at school with the explosion of social media and digital media to my faith. Still working on this one.
December Highlights: Attended more mom blogging events and saw my kids through their performances in The Nutcracker and at the school musical concerts as I graded finals and finished the online course I was prepping. Juggling, juggling. Oh, oh, and my new nephew was born to my twin brother!!
WOW! What a year. I just don't know how I will top this one in 2010. God has blessed me richly at a time when I have walked with friends through both joy and sadness and my biggest desire is to acknowledge those blessings through praise and service to my Lord and King who is the creator of ALL good things. Praise the Lord.
If you actually just read through all that, you really do deserve something so I simply thank you deeply. I am humbled.
That was a fun recap! So glad you're one of my blogging buddies AND real life friends!