Category Archives: AOL exodus

Hello (WordPress) world!

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Once again, I have (reluctantly) packed up my circus tent that is this blog of mine and moved.

I have no idea why my blog became invisible to so many and no one else seemed to know why either. But I do know that I wasn’t the only one frustrated by it. So here I am pitching my tent somewhere new. Bear with me while I do some unpacking and sprucing up. I am going to be updating my links so leave a comment if you would like me to include you on my blogroll.
In the meantime let me assure you that I am alive and well and blogging away.I hope that you will wave hello so that I know that you made it over here.

more on "things to do"

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I commented that I am enjoying revisiting and reflection this past year while I work on archiving my old AOL journal. I sure did have a lot to write about…..and some of it even made a little sense!

The bulk of it all seemed focus on moments in a day to day life here raising a family, working and playing.. Funny, in that sentence it all seems so boring and something I wouldn’t even give a second glance. But entry after entry reminded me of conversations with my children, my feelings as Daniel visited yet another specialist and faced surgery #8 and various other events and thoughts that gave me pause…..even the everydayness of life under the big top is interesting….well, to me it is! That was the original intended goal of my online journaling. The bonus is others find it a little bit interesting or amusing. The extra added bonus for me is finding other folks like me out there in the vast Blog-world who are a lot like me. Either I am not crazy or boring or there are more folks just like that out in the real world living among us all.

This entry is getting a little too warm and fuzzy but what can I say? I have optimistic tendencies. I try to see good in things. It’s my survival skill. Even in the suckiest and tragic of times, I can manage to find one good thing and I will cling to it for dear life.

But I digress….

Last night I came across an entry I made in response to the Saturday Six by Patrick. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect as my family and I are working on our Best and Worst of 2005 lists (see the best and the worst of 2004). The answer I wrote to one particular question gave me reason to reflect on goals I made for myself:

6. Name five things you would like to do by December 31, 2005.
paint the livingroom,
get the landscaping done in that dirt pile we call a backyard,
have a family portrait done,
replace the broken down Target bedroom furniture in my bedroom,
get away some weekend soon with Bill.

Here it is December 28 and I can check off three out of five. I could moan and groan because I still have a dresser in my bedroom held together literally by duct tape. I could also succumb to an extra dose of the blues as I see no opportunity to get all seven of us together long enough for any formal family portrait….yes, I could do that and it would be pretty easy…
But I chosse, instead, to see the accomplishments…..
I have eight trees, the beginnings of a beautiful planter box, colorful shrubs and plants all around, a thick, green lawn and a patio with outdoor furniture to relax on all in my backyard.
I have a warm, cozy haven where I can write, read or just relax deep in my own thoughts all in what was once the livingroom where no one “lived”.
Bill and I managed to make time for just us in a weekend getaway not once but twice within the last six months.
It’s only December 28 today. Technically I still have time to check off the other two goals. Considering finances would be a big factor for at least one and the logistics of getting seven busy people in one place at one time I am thinking perhaps I will need more than 72 hours…..
Yeah, I’m thinking I might need more time. In the meantime, I have some short term goals:
shampoo the hall carpet
finish the laundry- will I EVER really finish the laundry?
take care of Daniel’s social security
pick up my new vanity plate from the DMV
…
guess I need to get off the computer!
Have a great day!

grace and maturity

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It’s amazing where one can find good.
This child is.
This child is uniquely gifted in finding good in everyone and everything. Spend just five minutes with her and I guarantee that you will find your life more colorful and warmer. You will feel good about yourself and you will want to share those good feelings with everyone you encounter the rest of the day. I truly want to be just like her….gracious, kind, warm, accepting and good to all. We could all learn a lesson or two on how to treat one another from this gracious gifted child!
I am 43 years old. I joke all the time that I am just a big kid. My childhood did not allow for being a kid. Fortunately, my family today has given me the courage, the tools and permission to sometimes, be a kid! It’s refreshing. It’s healing. It is what keeps me young in my opinion.
But I am still 43 years old. I am still a “mature” adult. At least I think so….
no, after a recent encounter with a woman the same age as me, I know I am. I am mature because, in spite of my many flaws, I do try….
try being the operative word here, to show fairness and kindness to all…..even when I do not agree with their choices. Living with Bill has probably taught me that. Bill and I are polar opposites.

  1. Bill likes Pepsi, I like Coke

  2. Bill likes country music, I prefer classic rock, or better yet, the blues

  3. Bill is a couch potato, I love outdoor activities like cycling, running and just moving

  4. Bill is a Republican, I am a Democrat

The list goes on…..
yet, here we are 23 years later, together.
How?
Easy…at least to say….
we respect one another. We agree to disagree sometimes. We listen. By doing all of these we have learned over the years that we do have a lot in common in spite of the obvious differences in one another.
My ever widening circle of friends and acquaintances includes many people who are fundamentally different than me in so many ways. I like it that way. I see just how big this world is. I appreciate what an amazing thing we are, we human beings. I value all the more God’s wisdom in His creation. I treasure all the more that which I believe in and live.
I think how dark, dank and depressing it can be when we are holed up in our warm, insulated homes in the winter. How refreshing it is come spring to open your doors and windows and let the fresh air and the sunlight in. It dilutes the stagnant air and chases away the darkness. It is healing and restoring. My life is happier, richer and fuller because I do keep my doors and windows open to the outside world.I actually feel sorry for those who choose to keep themselves sealed off from the world around them. They become stagnant, unhappy and bitter. They never grow….they never mature despite the fact that we are the same age.
I don’t want to be like them.
I CHOOSE to not be like them. I want to be just like my daughter, Jodie Grace Wynnona….
if you think about it, say a little prayer for this sweet girl as she will be having oral surgery tomorrow.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T

People I have grown to admire, love and, well, respect are expending much too much energy slinging mud at one another….funny how just a couple of weeks ago there was so much love being exchanged a girl could get cavities from their sweetness.
Nevertheless, as I read some pretty rude, judgmental and downright nasty comments from these folks I described above, all I can hear in the soundtrack in my mind is Miss Aretha belting out a request for a little respect….SING IT, ARETHA!!!
In the meantime, the only whining you will hear from me is my having to work Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
My darling, alter ego Tilly across the Great Pond really did a smashing job of putting what I am feeling into words….amazing words. Someday, I will grow up to be you.
Love you, darling!

Friday Five

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From Charley….
1. If you choose to leave AOL over the ads in our journals, what will you miss most? If you choose to stay, what is your motivation to do so?


I chose to leave. I am firm on my principles and do not accept ads that imply that I might endorse a diet supplement (potential problem with my RN license therefore my livelihood) nor am I willing to imply endorsement of any company that is a direct competitor with my husband’s livelihood….boils down to stealing from my family IMHO…..notes ads described have appeared above my name on my journal.
I miss and MOURN the incredible community we built. I am grateful to have re-connected with fellow refugees as we affectionately call ourselves and CONTINUE to maintain relationships with those J-Landers who remain and accept and respect my choice just as I accept and respect their choice to stay.


2. Given the great exodus of people over the ads in their journal space, do you think the AOL community in J-Land will suffer?


Absolutely.
But ALL of us, whether we stay or leave, ultimately determine if we lose that community we have fostered. We all have a choice there and yes, right now that requires we work a little bit harder. I am doing my part. What are you doing?


3. Do you believe that AOL will respond to the many complaints? Why or why not?


I used to be a community leader for AOL….AMOM Austa at your service!….Having said that I can attest that we community leaders often knew of big changes long before they were implemented by AOL. We were admonished to keep it quiet until AOL unveiled them and we were advised to always be supportive of the changes. Never, ever were changes reversed no matter how big the uproar….and I did weather an ugly one in my community I led. I doubt AOL will rescind this. To me that is a sad testament of big corporate world’s view on customer service.


4. Why did you start to journal in the first place, and will you miss it if you leave?


For me, for my children as a legacy to their mom’s thoughts….the bonus is I found a voice I thought was lost years ago, an audience and friends.
I will still be blogging and you are welcome to keep on reading.


5. Will you miss those who stop reading your journal, if you leave, or if they’ve left, and will you take steps to continue reading their words?


I’m still reading! What are you doing?
Iguess like all relationships, people come and go without one word goodbye in our lives. It is sad but they chose to walk out without even a wave. I haven’t said goodbye to anyone….a few who emailed me commenting I shouldn’t leave and all never acknowledged my response that I am still here and still reading their blogs. It hurts, yes….I’m human and I do bleed real blood. But as some come and go without a word others come that stay and enrich my life all the more and I am blessed because of them.
Again, I have made my choice. I am still here and reading and commenting when my juggling permits it….lately not so much because of my own choice and preserving a year’s worth of my journal….but I am here still.
And you?