Work!

Tomorrow I have to go back to work. It has been three months exactly today since my son was born. These last three months have actually been some of the most amazing times of my life. I have enjoyed the freedom that comes with maternity leave; I got to take better care of my home, make meals, see my husband more often, watch the development of my baby boy. I was able to be out during the day, lunching with friends, helping out at church, visiting family.

Up until today I had been dreading returning to work. I would not be able to be with my son as much, and I would actually have to get up at 7 am and STAY awake for the rest of the day: no more napping. I am still not looking forward to going back tomorrow, but someone close to me reminded me how blessed I am to have a good-paying job with amazing benefits in this economy.

Thank you God, for your great blessings. See you bright and early!

Bookmarks

As I was surfing the Web the other day I was reviewing the Web sites that I have bookmarked on my computer. On Mac computers they are so conveniently displayed at the top of the page when you're online (I am partial to Mac computers as some of you probably already know). I thought about how many times a day I use these handy buttons and what the Web sites I have chosen to bookmark reveal about me and my personality.

Some of my bookmarks sit there unused - reminding me of people, places, or things Sam and I need to do (i.e., US Swedish Embassy home page). Others are out of necessity - a Web page buried so deep in cyberspace that it takes a phone call to the site administrator to find what I'm looking for (NCU faculty e-mail login page).

Here is my list of bookmarked Web sites and why I chose to bookmark them:

(In no particular order, names customized by me)

1. My blog - For obvious reasons, I plan on accessing this one a lot!

2. Jeanette's Blog - My sister-in-law moved to California recently and started a blog to keep family and friends updated on her happenings; haven't seen a new post there in a while. What's up Jeanette?

3. Kenosha First Assembly - So I can listen to my dad's sermons online; just seeing this one makes me think of my family and puts a smile on my face.

4. LLLI Resouces - (La Leche League International) I'm a breastfeeding mother; I am bound to have questions about how this thing works!

5. Gap - Come on. Anyone who's known me for more than 2 weeks knows this is my favorite clothing store. I like to browse in my spare time. Funny, no matter how busy I am I always seem to have "spare time" for gap.com!

6. US Swedish Embassy - I originally bookmarked this one because we needed to find out how to renew Sam's Swedish passport. Turns out that we have to take a trip to D.C., New York, or L.A. sometime in the future. Who knew? Now that we do know, I just keep it up there for reference and it reminds me of my family in Sweden.

7. Dad's blog - My blog-spiration. My dad writes a new post almost every day and they are definitely worth checking out (http://www.pksblogplace.blogspot.com/).

8. NCU Email - Like I said earlier, to try to find this page is like digging for a needle in a haystack.

9. Craigslist - Need I say more? I am a Craigslist-aholic! We have found furniture, iPhones, apartments and much more on this Web site. I like to look at real estate in Manhattan and Chicago for fun. Maybe it's a secret dream of mine to live in a major city someday. (Not so secret anymore! And no, Minneapolis does not count.)

10. Facebook - In this day and age, I need to keep up with the world. A girl's gotta have her Facebook easily accessible.

I know it's a random post today, but this is what was on my mind. And after all, it is MY blog. :)

What do YOUR bookmarks say about YOU?

Hello Blog World. It's me, Whitney.

What is this blogging thing? What does it mean to pour your thoughts out onto digital paper for anyone to read? Why do people do it?

Some of us need to. I have realized that I am one of those people.

I have been a "writer" in my head since elementary school when my English teacher suggested I attend a young writer's conference. My dad took me. I have always dreamed of being a writer - journalist, novelist, columnist - whatever. It didn't matter. Sure, through high school the writing thing became suppressed for a time (replace with: professional trombone player, astronaut, marine biologist, Disney animator), but underneath those pipe dreams I always knew writing was something I could actually be good at and a field in which I could possibly hold a job.

But in order to be a writer you have to write. Right? Ask me when I last wrote anything that wasn't required for a grade or a paycheck. Go ahead, ask.

Oh! Hey there! When was the last time I wrote anything that wasn't for a grade or a paycheck, you ask?

I don't remember.

You can be a writer in your "head" until the day you die, but if you keep your words inside, all they have the power to do is echo in there, haunting you to be set free.

So welcome. This is my journey to becoming a real writer; you know, one who actually writes? Here's to setting free my thoughts - Be liberated, thoughts! - and seeing what exciting things happen to someone who has been a writer all her life but never took the time.

Go ahead and ask me that question again. You know, the one above, in italics?

When was the last time I wrote anything that wasn't for a grade or a paycheck?

Today.

I'd like to make a toast. I raise my glass to getting out of our heads and into the world. And here's to blogging! Join me, won't you?

What would YOU like to toast today?