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Well, there is a first time for everything, I suppose. My canoe finally tipped over in Town Lake - with me and four kids in it! Of course, it didn't just happen to tip over - I hear there was a bounty out for who could get me the wettest, and we can presume someone has a nice prize this evening! :P I did learn I am strong enough to swim a canoe filled with five inches of water and four children at a darn good clip - I guess those years on the swim team paid off. : )
We are two canoe nights and two carnival nights into the summer season of the Austin Sunshine Camps, where I volunteer. (I talked about it here last summer.) Everything is great so far. We spent a lot of time prepping beforehand making new games, like bean bag tosses and such. We made these out of wood (yes, I helped use a saw and a drill!) and then we painted them. I wanted to bring in an element of learning when possible so you'll see I added quite a bit of detail to the solar system game and some espanol to the sun one. The baseball player one I just stuck with good, ol' fun. It was a lot of work, but these will last for years, and it is wonderful to see the kids playing them!
I finally am going to do it. I finally am going to finish at least one of my many books! I feel like the time in my life is right for me to do this. I am very eager to begin this next chapter and am delighted to see where this path takes me. I will miss all of the great relationships I formed as part of Texas Family Magazine and feeling like I truly was helping families across the state, but I am positive that this is the best decision for me. And, I am very happy!
Whew! I have had my one-and-a-half year old niece Alivia for two days. It was her first "away from home" trip, and quite an experience it was! I am exhausted! It is so nerve-wracking taking care of someone else's child. Danger seems to be lurking everywhere! I am usually so together - on top of every detail, every piece of knowledge - but I swear there were parts of my brain that simply did not have the juice to function while I was taking care of her. It's like the brain can only handle so much, and survival just jumps right up to the top and knocks the other stuff out. And, I am so used to just running around, darting from here to there - that just doesn't happen with a young one. I'll say it again, "Whew!" I am happy to report, though, that I have returned her in, from what I can tell, the same condition as when I received her. :P We actually did just fine. There were no meltdowns or tantrums. And, she tolerated me just fine, too! There was actually no crying at all; we just had a lot of fun. Distraction is the element that made it work! :)
I went to a World Wellness Expo this weekend. I love this kind of stuff! Mostly I just like to look around and absorb and learn. One of the speakers was John Gray, of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" fame. He talked about a lot of interesting stuff - like the female hormone oxytocin, which makes women feel happy - but also was really quite funny. The most fascinating part of my experience was an in-depth aura and chakra reading. I was solid violet. Solid, the whole way through. Violet is the color of spirituality. Some of the descriptions in my report: able to attain unlimited spiritual knowledge, healing and clairvoyance, may raise the energy vibrations of others simply by being in their presence, psychic abilities, understanding synchronicity, others notice my inner light, put the highest vibrational frequency out into the world, visionary, perhaps a gifted writer, may find myself in a position of power or visibility deeply affecting the lives of many people, present to the world a unique reality, have the vivid imagination required to write bestselling novels, may be coming into my power as a spiritual beacon, visionary, and guiding light. This website also has a pretty good description. If you remember, about six months ago, I was Indigo. I guess I am evolving, or however it should be described. Btw, I am not bragging. I am fascinated. Like I said, love this stuff!
Amidst the never-boring conundrum that is my life, there are some fun moments. Here I am (in the middle) riding horses on Corpus Christi beach. I had to include this picture so you could see Ashley - the mere fact that she is doing ballet moves on top of a horse should tell you how awesome she is. ;) We also went moped-ing around Corpus Christi beach. I must admit I am a bit of a chicken with certain things (and a daredevil with others,) and riding a moped made me a little nervous. :O But, at least I got the pink one. :D
My life is a giant pot of uncomfortableness, stirred often.
I had to get fingerprinted this morning. A lot of different organizations have been requiring this lately, and it's a good thing, I'm sure, for most purposes. At the same time, it feels kind of weird. I have a vague remembrance of giving a thumbprint in grade school as part of some sort of kids' safety initiative - perhaps involving McGruff, the Crime Dog - but this time they did all of my fingers and my thumbs and took a picture. Something about it was a little, "Whoah!" Like, "There goes my privacy!" Not that I'll likely ever have to worry about being a suspect or anything like that, but all the same ... What if I decide to re-invent myself and go chase tornadoes in Tornado Alley? Or, be a librarian in a remote, small town? All it would take is that one discarded paper cup for someone to track me down (hat tip: all my TRU/Court TV shows.)Of course, this is coming from someone who jokes (sort of) about putting chips in her future children, just like they do for cats and dogs. Hey - really - why not?
The latest issue of Texas Family Magazine is out. This one, I really like. I got a kick out of the Play It Again! piece, in which we profiled a dozen toys from our childhoods that have been remade for today's kids. Think Slinky, Monopoly (now with debit cards,) Twister, and Radio Flyer (what I call the pimp-my-ride set for kids.) There's also a great piece on the Sandwich Generation, those who are in the position of simultaneously taking care of their parents and their children. We also incorporated natural and organic products and living into many of our features/sections, and we rounded things off with travel stories on Amarillo, Texas, and Amelia Island Plantation in Florida. Plus, a bazillion other topics and pieces - all of which I could probably recite! : )
Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know that I have a very, very dear friend Prabhakar. Well, Prabhakar moved away this past weekend. To Canada. I told him I am just pretending he is away on one of his business trips, that this is not good bye. And, it's not. But, truth be told, I'll miss him. He's definitely one of the good ones.
We are joining with Crime Stoppers and others to help capture child predators who are on the run. Take a look at their website to see if you recognize any of these predators. I hear they have already caught the first fugitive as a result of this initiative!Here is a video of my statement at the press conference, kicking off Child Abuse Prevention Month. All the local stations and most of the local outlets were there so I assume we got some good coverage. And, we are on about 50 billboards across Houston. My statement is cut into two parts on YouTube. I start at about 8:50 into Part One and then am at the beginning of Part Two. In total, it's about four minutes. I encourage you to start with Part One. Oh, and in case you can't figure it out, I'm the one in the red dress, standing next to the congressman. :P
Baby Jackson and Big Sister Alivia Rose. I visited and met my nephew Jackson for the first time! He is extremely expressive with his face, constantly changing his expression in cute and remarkably original ways. He also smiled at me when I rubbed his head. : )And, yes, he is in his "Class of 2030" Texas A&M hat, much like Alivia's "Class of 2029" hat. : )The sweetest thing happened: Alivia heard Jackson let out a cry in the other room. Immediately, her expression changed, and she darted away toward him. (Well, to the extent one-year-olds can dart.) She grabbed a pacifier and went straight up to him to try to give him the pacifier to soothe him. She's one. And, he is only a week old. Talk about some real love, there. I thought it was one of the sweetest things I'd ever seen.
I think an important part of life, and in feeling good about our purpose in life, comes from helping others, which is accomplished through loving others. If we could boil down everything that matters in life, I believe the result would be love. And, this love is all around us, every day, in both small ways and grand. I find I am the most inspired and the most filled with love when I am around people who are serving others. This weekend, I had the privilege of helping kids with cancer and kids honoring those with cancer paint and decorate lucky horseshoes that will serve as centerpieces for the Cattle Baron's Ball, which will benefit The American Cancer Society. Because of the nature of the event, I asked God to send me in with extra angels that day, and I could feel their presence the entire time. The knowledge of that goodness is almost overwhelming, but in a good, good way. I am also helping with a campaign on which I definitely will be asking for the assistance of God and the angels. In conjunction with Crime Stoppers, we (via my Texas Family platform) are conducting a month long campaign during Child Abuse Prevention Month to capture child predators who have failed to register as sex offenders or who are wanted for victimizing children. We'll be having a press conference Friday, and I am trying to get the word to as many media outlets as I can because, ultimately, it is people in communities who can make the difference. What we are asking is that people look at the Crime Stoppers website to see if they can provide any information on the wanted felons. Here is my quote from my press release: “Sometimes child sex predators are hidden among us, within our trusted groups of friends and family, and we learn of their horrors only once it is too late, wondering if there are signs we should have recognized,” says Caroline A. Shearer, Editor in Chief of Texas Family Magazine. “Other times, such as with these wanted sex offenders who already have violated children, the law, and the justice system, we can take purposeful action to stop them from causing further harm. We implore you to help us capture these predators by providing Crime Stoppers any information on their whereabouts.”
I'm an aunt twice over now! Jackson Everett Shearer was born today at 2:03 p.m.! He was 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Everyone is doing well!
Do I not have the cutest niece in the world? (Other than my own aunts and uncles, of course. :P )I'm about to be an aunt twice over. Little Alivia here is about to have a baby brother - any day now! I hope you all had a Happy Easter! I came home with lots of organic dark chocolate so I'm definitely happy!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back, and may everyone with a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" button be really cute!Four leaf clovers to the lot of ya'! : )
I've been really bad about posting lately. I'd say nothing interesting has been going on, but that wouldn't be accurate. It's more that what has been going on is a.) not stuff I can put on here or b.) stuff I cannot put on here. :DI have been trying to hit a few SXSW events, along with the thousands of music-lovers who have descended upon our city, the live music capital of the world. There literally have been parties and live music and movies every hour on the hour, every day for a week. This will seem random, but Rachael Ray, the delightfully likable food celebrity, had a party with some indie bands. (Apparently, her husband is in that scene so there is the connection.) I missed seeing her, but I still made the party. I also went to an Ice Cube concert, which was pretty cool. It was old school - You Can Do It, Put Your Back Into It and Today Was a Good Day - meets new school - Gangster Rap Made Me Do It. It was fun. My dad will be proud that I am taking advantage of the music scene. He doesn't understand how I usually just let it slide on by me. There really is this whole other world here. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY yesterday to my little brother!! : )
Yesterday, March 8, was International Women's Day. This story, then, from the AP, makes a timely appearance. A 19-year-old medic from Lake Jackson, Texas will become the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor. Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007, the military said. After the explosion, which wounded five soldiers in her unit, Brown ran through insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 yards away. "I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there," Brown told The Associated Press on Saturday at a U.S. base in the eastern province of Khost.
Have y'all been seeing my dear Aggies each night on the FOX Report with Shepard Smith? Looks like they are in the MSC (Memorial Student Center) on the Texas A&M University campus and are behaving so well - decked out in maroon and whooping only when appropriate. ;)
The segments are part of their ongoing election coverage. If only Shepard could pull some strings and get those political callers from non-stop calling my house!
Happy Leap Day! Enjoy your extra day of February! :D
Well, there is a first time for everything, I suppose. 
