Giving Thanks

Things I'm thankful for this year:

• My beautiful, amazing, loving wife.
  
• My supportive and understanding family.
  
• Friends that support me when I need to be supported and challenge me when I need to be challenged.
  
• Tan-Tan and the Boopie Bear
  
• A great job (at least while my employer remains solvent!)
  
• Selling my house after being on the market for only five weeks
  
• Ridiculous high-pitched duets with my wife (at home!)
  
• Opportunities to serve and to give back to our community
• Wedding Workout Plan
• Wireless Internet
• Wonderful cooking from my wife and her family for Thanksgiving Dinner
  
• And for a God that has so richly blessed me this past year.
  

Happy birthday(s)!

I wanted to give a shout out to two lovely ladies who are celebrating their birthday today: my little niece Tanith turns two and my mother-in-law Donna (a/k/a Mrs.Mac) turns some undisclosed young-at-heart age :). We celebrate along with you, and hope that you feel blessed with the love of family & friends!

What can I say, Princess Tan-Tan? I admire a girl who knows what she wants and goes after it with gusto, and you certainly fit that bill! Sassy and smart, you share some qualities of your mama (Debbie) and your titas/aunts (me, Aimee, Mia). You're the only other girl that puts a special sparkle in my husband's eye, and because I love you, you may continue to offer your cheek to him for kisses :). And may you always have that spunk, and that dimply, heart-melting smile.

And while it's pretty common for some ladies to gripe about their mothers-in-law, thankfully that's not the case for me! Mrs. Mac is generous & loving, and as a retired elementary school teacher and now a volunteer at the local hospital, she is a helper at heart. I got such a kick at the Purdue football game where she cheered like it was the Superbowl! :) When the Barton talks about his childhood he often mentions her unconditional support, and I know she will always be a cheerleader for our marriage and our future family.

Happy birthday, we love you both!

The power of touch

No, not what you're thinking! I'm referring to my hubby's new toy, the iPod Touch. I used to tease him about his love affair with his Macbook laptop, but these days he's been stepping out on ole Mac to reach out and touch his new iPod, especially since it picks up our wireless Internet at home. He'll run to check it as soon as he gets home, and I'll look over to see him peering so intently into the colorful icons on its interactive screen that I often wonder if it is relaying state secrets to him or the answers to life's deepest questions. Or maybe he's really the secret agent of our household :). Oh well, I suppose it's my fault since I recently bought it for him as a gift! Actually, when we were on our honeymoon I pulled him into an Apple store as we were walking by and spontaneously suggested that I buy him one of the new iPods on the spot and I could use his other iPod Nano. So he was excited for a hot second, then he suddenly grew thoughtful and said that he would rather wait until he got home so he could research the different new models, and survey his friends about their pros and cons. Sheesh. Anyway, enjoy, my dear!

Our 1st Christmas gift

We recently received this plate in the mail as an early Christmas gift from Mr. & Mrs. Mac (a/k/a the Barton's parents :), as a commemoration of our wedding date, and we think it's beautiful! It already has a special viewing place on top of our new cabinet in the family room. They ordered it a couple months ago, but they are handmade at the Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. By the way, if you have never been or haven't been to Greenfield Village in a while you really should check out this local gem that we have, it really is an amazing snapshot of history. We're really hoping we can check out the fireworks & DSO performance next year again during the 4th of July week, it was a great time - come & picnic with us!

The inscription that we chose for the plate is an excerpt of the oft-quoted biblical quote Joshua 24:15. While a pretty plate shouldn't have to remind us that our house serves the Lord, we figure hey we can all use another reminder, right?

Made in Detroit

The media is abuzz with talks about a possible government bridge loan to the Big Three automakers.  I would like to state for the record that due to my new familial status (hubby works for GM) and the fact that I was born and raised in the Detroit area and have lived here all of my life, I reluctantly agree that there is "no other option" given the economic ripple impact that would take place here in Michigan and nationally, even if it's a desperate short-term option that may not even get them to the point where the credit market turns around a bit.  However, I simply HATE that fact, because a big part of me wants to scream a stream of gibberish in the car at some of the commentators on NPR that sounds a little bit like "free market!  supply & demand!  it's a capitalist society, people!".  But I don't, and I will suffer in silence (for now) while my husband & his co-workers press on at a company that is quickly running out of options while celebrating their 100th year anniversary without much fanfare.  Cheers.

---

Color coding for safety: Windows Live Hotmail alerts you to suspicious email. Sign up today.

Voodoo remedies

That's what I called my newest home remedies for this season's inevitable bout of colds when I was talking to a co-worker recently.  But aside from my usual tactics of a high-dose of vitamin C and an early bedtime, I've added a couple new ones.  Last year, I got on the Airborne tablet kick, which my friend Sarah dubbed "placebo" when I mentioned it a couple weekends ago.  And while I have no idea what its actual effectiveness rating would be in a consumer test against a sugar pill (or SweeTart?) my sister Aimee and I both agree that $6 is more than a fair price to pay for something that we believe makes us feel better, even if it actually does nothing for our physical symptoms!   
 
I stumbled upon the next remedy when I felt the full onset of cold symptoms one night recently. I had sent the hubby off to the gym solo, and was about to curl up on the couch and watch Prison Break when I decided a hot cup o' tea was in order.  I rooted around the cupboards to find a decaf version and came across something that the Barton had brought over from his old house, Throat Coat  http://www.tealand.com/ThroatCoat.asp .  I heated up some water and steeped it as directed, and drank it plain.  Miraculous!  OK, not really in the biblical sense, but my sore throat instantly felt better and my stomach was calm.   I'm now convinced that after a couple of antihistamine pills to help me get through the next couple of long 12-hour work days that ensued, a few more cups of Throat Coat and a pretty intense yoga class Saturday morning ("now, everyone reach up and elongate your side body just a little bit more before taking three knee dips to the floor, raise your arms higher!" -  say what?!?), I was as good as new.  Seriously, try it if you don't mind the hints of black licorice/anise.
 
My last remedy to report on I read about in some health magazine last week on the treadmill.  I picked up a teeny bottle of eucalyptus oil for $5 from Whole Foods, aka "Whole Paycheck" as the Barton likes to call it, and sprinkled a few drops on the steamy shower floor, and voila', an instant Vicks-like mist!  That's pretty much what it smells like, though you can get a variety of scents http://www.goddess-within.com/aucaesoi.html, this one was recommended to open up your breathing.  Good times. 
 
I'll sign off now to eat my vanilla almond granola bar from Trader Joe's for an afternoon snack, but before I do that I'll note here that I have not turned into a crunchy Generation Xer, so not to worry.  I'm still a regular retail-consuming (bad), Lexus-driving (bad for my husband's company, I know), sushi-eating, shower-singing, recycling, tattoo-bearing, Martha Stewart-watching, yoga-practicing, oatmeal-raisin-cookie-baking, churchgoing, conservative, Crackberry addict who loves her family & friends and weeps at the end of every Extreme Home Makeover episode.  Yeah, that's right.  So don't even try to slap a label on me.  Holla!
 
P.S.  Hope you're feeling better honey!

---

See how Windows® connects the people, information, and fun that are part of your life Click here

Biscuits and Gravy

On our way back from Purdue, we stopped at a hotel that had a free breakfast in the morning. As hotels are one-upping each other with their breakfast options, this hotel offered a couple of hot breakfast options. One of them was the awesomeness that is biscuits and gravy. I rarely eat biscuits and gravy - I would never make it for myself, and I think I've only had it a couple of times in the past year. But there's something about white sausage gravy, flavored with black pepper, on top of fresh biscuits that I love.

Liv doesn't understand biscuits and gravy. Nor did two English couples at our hotel. While I was eating, one couple was staring at me, trying to figure out what was going on. When the other couple came down for breakfast, the first couple tried to explain to the second couple that you put this gravy on a biscuit and eat it. They seemed disgusted by this breakfast choice, to which I have one response: blood sausage.

But maybe it's just me. So let me ask - biscuits and gravy: no way or yes please?

Kiddie practice

Last night while saying grace before we had dinner, the Barton included "a great afternoon with our niece & nephew" , which of course made me smile. He knew early on when we were dating that I dote upon little Tanith & Kieran (sorry about the old picture Tan-Tan, but its just so darn cute! :), and quickly learned how much I valued spending time with them, to the point of scheduling other things around my regular weekend babysitting.  So while he may have started out trying to impress me with sometimes joining in with the kiddie outings, either way he has come to include them in his life as well, and I'm so grateful for that, plus its an interesting exercise to see what kind of parents we'll be like someday! 
 
I'm sure all you parents out there would probably say that its not an accurate picture since you don't have the constant  demands of care (nor the proper sleep deprivation!), but my only point is that I can already see a glimpse of how our division of labor might pan out.  Turns out I am much less patient (gee thanks, Dad!) when it comes to the discipline of a whiny toddler, for instance, and more than once I've found myself chuckling in the other room listening to my hubby take the tactic of a reasoned, logical approach to a painstakingly explaining something to a 3-year-old.  I'm probably much more likely to engage the age-old "because I said so!" parental standby after an initial attempt at explanation, which by the way does anyone remember not wanting to take a nap if given the opportunity?  It just kills me that kids so often fight sleep, when adults would shut the door to their office and turn off the lights for a quick snoozer if they thought it would be professionally acceptable.
 
Here's to having a little caffeine jolt this afternoon, and to keeping your head up (literally)! 

---

Windows Live Hotmail now works up to 70% faster. Sign up today.

Boiler Up!

Last weekend Liv and I went to my alma mater, Purdue. We went to the Purdue - Michigan game, where we had great seats thanks to StubHub, beautiful weather, a chance to hang out with my parents, and a Boilermaker victory. It was the first time Liv had been to Purdue, so I had a chance to take her around campus.

I've only been back to Purdue one other time since graduation - which is funny, since I got a master's degree from Purdue in the meantime through distance learning. Two years ago I remember walking around campus, and it was kind of strange - it had been years since I had been on campus, but I still could picture myself as a college student. This time, walking around campus, there was no picturing myself as a college student. It was great to remember the past, but it clearly was my past.

This helped me to realize just how much my life has changed in the past two years (all for the better!), and how much I've changed because of it. While my years at Purdue helped to make me the person I am today, I am not the same person that I was when I was at Purdue. And that is a very good thing.

If I had a billion dollars...

...I'd be the estimated total amount spent on this presidential race by the two major parties, apparently.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of smaller government, capitalism, etc., but does anyone else think that this money (from both corporate & individual donations) could've been better spent elsewhere given our current economic state of affairs?? 
 
Excerpt of "For the Love of Money" by the O'Jay's :
Some people got to have it
Some people really need it
Listen to me y'all, do things, do things, do bad things with it
You wanna do things, do things, do things, good things with it
 
Title inspired by 1 Timothy 6:10:
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
 
Several financial discussions during our engagement led us to talk about what our charitable giving strategy would be as a couple.  While I had always considered myself to be pretty generous, I was humbled by these discussions and the Barton's generosity.  And I have to tell you, that ever since we have set our collective giving level (at a bit higher level than I was previously used to) it has been so freeing, and it has allowed me to think more creatively and sometimes more spontaneously about our support of our church and other charitable causes.  On top of that, I swear we have been blessed at every turn as a result, it's almost hard to fathom why.  Only one of many life lessons I will learn from and along with my new hubby, I guess, he's just that cool :).

---

Get 5 GB of storage with Windows Live Hotmail. Sign up today.

Wedding pics

I can't imagine that anyone other us would want to dig through the hundreds of pictures we now have online, but if they are up for public viewing!  Check out www.pictage.com and search for the Visperas/McLaughlin wedding in September 2008.  Otherwise, here's a couple of cool ones that Aimee's bf Trish took..

---

Get 5 GB of storage with Windows Live Hotmail. Sign up today.

Nope

I'll be short here, as those that know me can guess that it's quite likely that I'll be sorely disappointed when several of the final tallies come in both locally and nationally. My fear is that as a society collectively suffering under the weight of the credit crisis, rising unemployment, etc., many have turned in desperation to undeserving sources for the hope we all seek right now.
Government is not the answer, my friends! (And it may not be Allen Iverson either - see previous post.) Perhaps for a brighter future we should instead look to the one who - at least in my book - is the only one who can claim a "righteous wind" at His back. I'm just saying. Oh yeah, and God Bless America!! (cue patriotic music)

Time for change

No, silly, I'm not talking about the elections here, but the risky Pistons trade (of Billups, McDyess & Samb) for Allen Iverson. Now I love me some Joe Dumars, but I'm just not sure what to think about this recent switch-up decision, mostly because I'm a bit worried about how he will fit into our overall team dynamic, which recently had another big change in Coach Michael Curry. I mean, we already have our main man of attitude in Rasheed, so I guess we'll see how the chips fall in the upcoming games.

Goodbye, Chauncey, we loved your leadership & spirit!

An unexamined faith is not worth having

...claims a church billboard that I read driving home from the gym the other night that got me to thinking. Obviously a play on the Socrates quote: "an unexamined life is not worth living", but I think the basic "unexamined" challenge can be applied in countless aspects of one's life - diet, exercise regimen, employment satisfaction, work/life balance, parenthood, marriage, friendships, and certainly one's spiritual health. I know that I struggle constantly with the idea of ensuring that my life means something and reflects the life that I want to live, but let's face it, sometimes I cast that solemn philosophy aside in my excitement to watch a new episode of The Office from the safety of my couch (oh, Dwight, how you make me laugh! :). So I issue the challenge to myself as well as anyone who cares to join in, remember to tune in to the faiths that make you tick, and step up your game if it seems a wee bit stale.