New Web Address

Hey y'all...I know it's been a while and I apologize from deep within my heart. I will be back up and running in a few days - PROMISE - but to let you know...the new URL for this site has changed to http://www.southerncuppa.blogspot.com/. The previous URL will no longer get you here, so be aware.

Thanks for being patient, and on a side note, I learned how to make Christmas bows yesterday, courtesy of my mama. I'm going to try and show you how, if you're interested, but I'm still figuring it out myself.

I want to sign off with our Christmas card pic, taken at our beach vacation last month. Enjoy!

Oh, the vastness of technology

Look! You can see the peach's fuzz!!!

I made a big purchase today...quite possiby the biggest purchase (money wise) that has been made in our household for quite some time.





I bought a very cool, very professional looking, very expensive (at least for us) digital camera. I am super excited about. Surprisingly, Chad is super excited about it, as opposed to mad, which is what I thought he may be after finding out that I bought such an expensive little "surprise" on my lunch hour. The only problem is I don't know a DANG thing about photography and, because this camera has so many cool features, I should probably get my learnin' on and figure out how to make the most of my purchase.





I used to think I was pretty technologically saavy. But when I realized that Apple didn't even MAKE my iPod mini anymore, I came to the realization that technology today moves much faster than me or my wallet. So here I am, iPhone-less, with no flat screen tv, and no Blu-Ray player. I also don't text frequently, like my younger cousins, niece, and step-daughter do. When I was younger, my idea of cool included bag cell phones and the see through home phones that lighted up when it rang. Remember those? Anybody else feeling old?

Nie

I have specific blogs that I read every day and some that I have been reading since I've been blogging (well, blogging regularly). It's amazing how many people out there are avid bloggers like myself and also amazing how easily it is to get sucked into their worlds if the writing is good. I think of them as "Black Hole Blogs" and there have been times when I have lost hours reading a good blog because I feel like if I don't start at the beginning, I'm going to miss something.


Some of the "black holes" that have caused me to lose hours of my time are Melanie, Angie, Lindsey, and my real time friend, Lauren. All of these blogs have enriched my life in some way - Melanie with her funny stories, Angie with her heartbreak and spiritual insights, Lindsey with her way with words, and Lauren because it has been such a joy to catch up with a friend that I thought I had lost forever and see her gorgeous family grow and change. I literally drop what I'm doing when I see that these women have taken the time to write. It is my addiction.

My latest addiction has been Stephanie, aka Nie. I found her through Lindsey's blog and can not stop reading her. Her story is beautiful and sad and inspiring. If you haven't had the opportunity to catch up with her, DO IT. It will take your breath away. When I first visited her site, I couldn't get her off my mind. I have prayed for her and her family and awaited anxiously for each new post to come up. How strange that this blogging world has become so important to me! I don't know any of these people in real life (except for Lauren), but I feel that they are my friends. Their triumphs and tragedies affect me and I pray hard for them as I do for my own.

It seemed strange and a little dorky to "blog" once upon a time. Now it's my outlet. I can let my mind run free and my fingers do the walking. And maybe somewhere, at some point, my story will touch lives as these women's have.

Twitterpated

"What is Twitter?" a coworker of mine asked from an adjoining cubicle. "Elle" is probably in her fifties.

"It's the doorway to hell," I replied quickly, not wanting her to accept the invitation from whoever emailed her to invite her to join Twitter, the latest Internet fad and perfectly useless application tool that makes your life an open book to any and all who find your user name/and or profile picture interesting.

Probably anyone reading this blog is at least somewhat familiar with Twittering. I thought it was really cool and decided to sign up when a friend of mine invited me to, thinking that it was an easy way to keep up with people (as if blogging, facebook, and myspace weren't enough). But honestly, it's just annoying. I mean, if you don't twitter enough, people lose interest and find someone else they don't know to stalk. And if you twitter too much, people wonder if you have OCD and need to be instituionalized.

The problem is, twittering becomes addictive, like web crack. It's like those stupid status updates on facebook and myspace that I feel compelled to read because, by golly, I care. And obviously, am very nosy. It's amazing what people put on their status updates/twitter. Discretion about relationships, friends, everything goes out the window. I think some people forget that these updates/twitter CAN BE READ BY EVERYONE! So that posting of "bored at work" or "wow, this job sucks" could possibly be taken out of context by say, your boss, who is a secret webstalker and your profile isn't private. Just a thought.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go update my Twitter..."updated blog...go to www.chadkelley.blogspot.com"...