tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125655072024-03-17T02:52:03.286-04:00From TracieLife, surviving, books, yellow pictures, and everything elseTracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.comBlogger1022125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-50949189288461224312020-06-23T19:05:00.001-04:002020-06-23T19:05:42.242-04:00Traffic Secrets: A Must-Read Book For Bloggers And Entrepreneur<img alt="Tracking Pixel" src="https://pixel.massivesway.com/tracker.php?pixel=d130403c-b670-4e33-809e-26e1d6ce343d" />
For the last thirty days I've been participating in a traffic secrets challenge on Twitter as I've worked my way through Russell Brunson's new book, <em>Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers.</em> It's been a great opportunity to learn more about cultivating an audience and driving traffic to a website. Today, I'm going to share a little bit more about the book, and what you can learn from it. This is a sponsored post for the <em>Traffic Secrets</em> book, but all opinions are mine!<br />
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<h2>
Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers</h2>
It doesn't matter if you are new to the online space or if you have been here for a long time – you need to consistently work at bringing in more traffic to your website or sales funnel. In the world of online marketing, a sales funnel is usually a landing page that walks potential customers through the decision process to purchase. A funnel can also be more than just that initial landing page and include an email sequence, text messages, and other communication that keeps your potential customer engaged until they are ready to buy (because a lot of people need to be presented with an offer up to 20 times before they will buy).<br />
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Those of us who have been doing this for years know that strategies have to change as Google and social media algorithms fluctuate. Every year, tens of thousands of online businesses and websites start and then quickly fail, because the owner doesn't understand how to bring in the audience they need.<br />
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<strong>What I appreciate about <a href="https://bit.ly/2WoBZqU" rel="sponsored"><em>Traffic Secrets</em></a> is the way Brunson takes you through fundamental steps that build a strong foundation.</strong> It's not a bunch of sketchy tricks that will work for a few days or months and then leave you with a huge disaster when a social platform finds the loophole you've been exploiting or Google decides to change their guidelines.<br />
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The first step to driving traffic to your website is identifying your ideal audience:
What do they need? What do they want? Which problems are they trying to solve?<br />
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Once you identify your audience (your ideal customer/reader/follower), you can focusing on getting to know them. Figure out where they are spending time. Hone in on ways to reach them and get them to click through to your website or funnel.<br />
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This is the journey <em><a href="https://bit.ly/2WoBZqU" rel="sponsored">Traffic Secrets</a></em> walks you through. Brunson also reveals direct marketing techniques that will allow you to be at the front of new online trends and see opportunities other people haven't picked up on yet.<br />
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<h3>
<em>Traffic Secrets</em> Author: Russell Brunson</h3>
Russell Brunson is an entrepreneur and best-selling author. In 2014, Russell and his partner Todd Dickerson launched ClickFunnels, which became the fastest-growing non-venture backed software company in the world and is now a $100M company. In addition to being the CEO of ClickFunnels, Brunson has built a following of over a million entrepreneurs, sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his books, and popularized the concept of sales funnels.
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<h2>
Get A Copy Of <em>Traffic Secrets</em> Today!</h2>
<strong>If you want to drive more traffic to your blog or online business, or you are thinking about starting something new online, this book is a must-read.</strong> You can learn more about the book and <a href="https://bit.ly/2WoBZqU" rel="sponsored"><strong>grab a free copy of <em>Traffic Secrets</em> here</strong></a> (you just pay for the shipping and handling)! It's a great deal.<br />
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This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Russell Brunson and <em>Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers</em>.Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-91659432864020426712020-02-02T23:23:00.002-05:002020-02-02T23:23:58.859-05:00Climbing Camelback Mountain (Take One)I wanted to climb Camelback Mountain for my birthday this year, and Katarina agreed to do it with me. I was a little worried about the extra hard rating, and some of the scary reviews I read online, because I've never really hiked before (and Camelback is the tallest mountain around here), but I got advice from hiking friends and decided I could do it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-9tSC6lvZ9Xg-ENTqwYbmNXP0Xq7kH3TgaHqFY1FYzoVQy7lYk88QaCSBufmFAIISyartHMfZ0BbDhDplKtFmBtLjWUz8PgckqTGPJaxot0VG9qYGv6MRiFg_24d-5OYm139/s1600/camelback-mountain+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tracie and Katarina on Camelback Mountain" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-9tSC6lvZ9Xg-ENTqwYbmNXP0Xq7kH3TgaHqFY1FYzoVQy7lYk88QaCSBufmFAIISyartHMfZ0BbDhDplKtFmBtLjWUz8PgckqTGPJaxot0VG9qYGv6MRiFg_24d-5OYm139/s640/camelback-mountain+1.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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While I would love to post this picture here, and let you believe that I climbed a mountain this weekend, I have to admit something: we didn't make it all the way to the top.<br />
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<b>I'm still counting this experience as a total win, though.</b><br />
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We learned a lot of important things that are going to help us make it to the top next time – because there WILL be a next time. I'm going to keep going back until I conquer Camelback Mountain all the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoDfZxBHIuEoFrol2Ocdymua2g-j_zMbdOyed30erVIbFByY0LacrblGZoC3MlF_gJGj1eNSwa3NH6cI7ZedgjswgQBNuVCCMoYxvvNGCcqUySk8X3a9mnof7kPWczIWP3Flo/s1600/camelback-mountain+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cactus on camelback mountain cholla trail" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoDfZxBHIuEoFrol2Ocdymua2g-j_zMbdOyed30erVIbFByY0LacrblGZoC3MlF_gJGj1eNSwa3NH6cI7ZedgjswgQBNuVCCMoYxvvNGCcqUySk8X3a9mnof7kPWczIWP3Flo/s640/camelback-mountain+2.jpg" title="" width="512" /></a></div>
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Why I Didn't Make It To The Top of Camelback Mountain (And What I Learned About Hiking)</h2>
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1. You can't climb a mountain when you have chest congestion (or, at least, I can't). </h3>
I've been coughing for the last week, but didn't feel feverish or weak. I didn't realize how congested my lungs were, or how much it would impact hiking, until I was about 30 minutes in and could hardly catch my breath. The higher we hiked, the worse it got, and the longer I had to sit each time to get my breath back.<br />
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2. Proper footwear matters. </h3>
I should say that I knew my shoes weren't the best going into this adventure. My boss even asked me if I had proper footwear and told me to get hiking shoes last week. But I didn't make it to the store, and decided my seven year old running shoes would work okay. They were okay, but they were not the best choice. I'm definitely getting the right shoes before I do this again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOo8LEkKB67MwMuv3bRHMp32JEAGjtJ57fG3myPGfhn2WWUQr96MRQB6YBiEM_CrOUbs42F42-uYIUAWhOoln6-3qSaCA1cQPBgLhHEkxXhF3vKuhbblRYHLfKwmF6ULQIiWm_/s1600/camelback-mountain+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tracie taking a break on Camelback Mountain Cholla Trail in Phoenix" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOo8LEkKB67MwMuv3bRHMp32JEAGjtJ57fG3myPGfhn2WWUQr96MRQB6YBiEM_CrOUbs42F42-uYIUAWhOoln6-3qSaCA1cQPBgLhHEkxXhF3vKuhbblRYHLfKwmF6ULQIiWm_/s640/camelback-mountain+3.jpg" title="" width="512" /></a></div>
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3. Going down is faster. </h3>
The final reason we decided to stop where we did was time. With all of the stops I had to take to rest during our ascent, we were moving slowly. I wasn't sure how long it would take to go back down, and wanted to make sure we didn't get stuck partway if my breathing troubles worsened. When we got to the halfway point, we decided to turn around and come back another day.<br />
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4. Two people = two bags for water. </h3>
I wanted to take lots of water, because, Arizona. But I packed all of it into the one hiking backpack we own. It wasn't too heavy to carry comfortably, but it was heavy enough to impact my balance. Next time Katarina and I will take separate bags and split up the water. (Shout out to Nature Valley for the hiking backpack they sent me probably 10 years ago as part of an influencer campaign that I finally took on a real hike!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpJtwu0eBel9NtZUWa2I3bdJo2l9OwQ4mWf_m-CtENubyoNSG9ipsKM310OQst8fMCqn6w-XO2fMlmrQy_B8xohaQrEIM6T6VJyl01G1u6mf4wXnks9sXMcj25Vp-K26PADwb/s1600/camelback-mountain+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="hiking backpack" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpJtwu0eBel9NtZUWa2I3bdJo2l9OwQ4mWf_m-CtENubyoNSG9ipsKM310OQst8fMCqn6w-XO2fMlmrQy_B8xohaQrEIM6T6VJyl01G1u6mf4wXnks9sXMcj25Vp-K26PADwb/s640/camelback-mountain+4.jpg" title="" width="512" /></a></div>
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<h3>
5. Hike early. </h3>
We got to the mountain at 7:30am and that was nearly perfect. I think we will try to get there a bit earlier next time, but I definitely wouldn't want to go later. When we were on our way down, it was getting super crowded. Which leads me to this...<br />
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6. I'm glad I wore jeans.</h3>
Near the end of the hike, a group of guys jostled me as they pushed past me on their way up the mountain; I went down hard on one knee. My knee is pretty torn up, but it would have been worse in leggings or shorts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMk0fqPsArkj_erzsM9sci1jI_tPvXAiJKsufPzi-AiQNp5ibKbzQWQ2HXPngfXV3N-wos5o3h45D8n517qElMm9s07ytocc5PnmR0Ps_iL3Uqfp0da4wOxkzvXLWGzBfSna-/s1600/camelback-mountain+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Camelback Mountain Cholla Trail" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMk0fqPsArkj_erzsM9sci1jI_tPvXAiJKsufPzi-AiQNp5ibKbzQWQ2HXPngfXV3N-wos5o3h45D8n517qElMm9s07ytocc5PnmR0Ps_iL3Uqfp0da4wOxkzvXLWGzBfSna-/s640/camelback-mountain+5.jpg" title="" width="512" /></a></div>
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Stay tuned...I'm going to try this again soon, and will have more tips for you on how to successfully climb Camelback Mountain.<br />
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If you want to see more pictures of our Camelback Mountain adventure, check out <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fromtracie/" target="_blank">the highlights on my Instagram Stories</a>.<br />
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<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-84858296218601977372017-09-19T23:04:00.002-04:002017-09-19T23:09:00.262-04:00Remembering Rich Mullins 20 Years LaterI worked with the soundtrack of Rich Mullins behind me today. Not unusual, I often play his music. But today, as I listened through every song Rich gave us, I felt the weight of the music. I was struck by the history of who I was 20 years ago and the reality of who I am now all contained in those songs.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kidbrothers.net/rmml/rmml156.html" target="_blank">It's been 20 years since Rich Mullins reached the other side of the Jordan</a>.<br />
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I was in 9th grade when he died. Now I'm the parent of a 9th grader.<br />
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I could link to a dozen or more articles published in the last week about the impact Rich Mullins had on people's faith, and probably a few that debate his faith, his theology, and his weaknesses. But I've only glanced at everything that is being written about Rich on this anniversary. I'll probably go back in the next few weeks and read all of it, because I never stop longing for that community of people who knew Rich, either personally or just through his music. But today I'm taking it old school. Reading articles linked up on <a href="https://www.kidbrothers.net/" target="_blank">Calling Out Your Name</a>, a website that makes me smile in all of its late 1990's glory. Feeling that weight.<br />
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Music can take you right back to you were when you first heard it, and it can speak to you right where you are in the moment you are hearing it again. And this is where I sit today.<br />
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And I had to sit here — on this blog. <br />
Much neglected this year. To be honest, totally neglected.<br />
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One of the only things I've written for myself in months was this: "I don't write anymore, because my words are all too painful and incendiary."<br />
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It was short enough to tweet, but I didn't need 140 characters.<br />
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I could have summed that sentence up in one word. It isn't a word about not having time, as much as I toss lack of time out as a handy excuse for not writing. It's a word both simple and complex.<br />
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<b>The word is FEAR.</b><br />
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<b>I don't write anymore, and it all comes down to fear. </b><br />
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The fear of telling stories and not having stories to tell. The fear of people reading and no one reading. The fear of being too much and not enough. The fear of being weak and finding strength. The fear of words both raw and honest.<br />
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So today, I sat and listed to every song Rich gave us. And I soaked in the rawness and the truth.<br />
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As I was on the elliptical machine at the gym (I really really don't recommend listening to Rich Mullins while working out — the singing, the the hand raising, and the crying can all be very dangerous while ellipticalling) I heard <i>Bound To Come Some Trouble</i> deep in my soul.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N_RUGTMxoh4?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></center>
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<i><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20width=%22560%22%20height=%22315%22%20src=%22https://www.youtube.com/embed/N_RUGTMxoh4?rel=0%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20allowfullscreen%3E%3C/iframe%3E" target="_blank">Bound To Come Some Trouble - Rich Mullins Video Link</a></i></div>
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I've listened to this sound hundreds, maybe even thousands of times, but today I was struck by the fact he intentionally addresses fear more than once.<br />
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<i>There's bound to come some trouble to your life<br />But that ain't nothing to be afraid of<br />There's bound to come some trouble to your life<br />But that ain't no reason to fear<br />I know there's bound to come some trouble to your life<br />But reach out to Jesus, hold on tight<br />He's been there before and He knows what it's like<br />You'll find He's there </i></blockquote>
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<i>There's bound to come some tears up in your eyes<br />That ain't nothing to be ashamed of<br />I know there's bound to come some tears up in your eyes<br />That ain't no reason to fear<br />I know there's bound to come some tears up in your eyes<br />Reach out to Jesus, hold on tight<br />He's been there before and He knows what it's like<br />You'll find He's there </i></blockquote>
This is what I heard:<br />
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Trouble and tears are coming.<br />
No fear. No fear. No shame. No fear.<br />
Reach out to Jesus. Hold on tight. </blockquote>
My moment of clarity came. I've been doing this backwards.<br />
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Holding on to fear. Holding on to shame. Holding on to fear.<br />
Not holding on, so much, to Jesus.<br />
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So today, I brushed aside the dust, and blew off the cobwebs, and I let go of fear, and I showed up to write, and in a few minutes I'm actually going to click publish.<br />
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And that is enough.<br />
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I'm not going to tell you the story of Rich, but know that his music changed my life. And 20 years later, I still listen and I still miss him. But I encourage you.... check out the articles written about Rich, the old ones and the new. Read <a href="https://www.kidbrothers.net/release.html" target="_blank">the articles Rich wrote for RELEASE</a> back in the day. Watch <a href="http://colorgreenfilms.com/ragamuffin/" target="_blank">the movie</a> and watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bajoUcmPrgU" target="_blank">the old documentary</a> and <a href="http://kidbrothers.org/documentary/" target="_blank">the new documentary</a>. Listen to the music. Read a little <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2013/04/brennan-manning.html" target="_blank">Brennan Manning</a>. It's all good for your soul.<br />
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But most of all... <b><i>Don't be afraid. Hold on to Jesus. And be God's.</i></b><br />
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<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-91733753358587119232016-10-10T23:19:00.000-04:002016-11-09T17:39:05.160-05:00What Is Sexual Assault? <div class="tr_bq">
What is sexual assault? What is the actual definition of sexual assault? </div>
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<div class="tr_bq">
This term seems to be super confusing for people this week, primarily Donald Trump supporters, many of whom are scrambling to defend him since the release of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-recorded-having-extremely-lewd-conversation-about-women-in-2005/2016/10/07/3b9ce776-8cb4-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html?postshare=3561475870579757&tid=ss_tw" target="_blank">2005 Access Hollywood tape</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3lA5-RXErH7Vgx3vf-ivqxrJk5bzgkJLsaVr3VXvr72R0U2gnuN3aBsDBZCuI1YSFY-hoI_xz8roBmVnufToelbA4i7vjjxbk2MS8sQBzEuOdTggLiEovPw09Dsmzw6RqqI6/s1600/donald-trump-billy-bush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3lA5-RXErH7Vgx3vf-ivqxrJk5bzgkJLsaVr3VXvr72R0U2gnuN3aBsDBZCuI1YSFY-hoI_xz8roBmVnufToelbA4i7vjjxbk2MS8sQBzEuOdTggLiEovPw09Dsmzw6RqqI6/s1600/donald-trump-billy-bush.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="tr_bq">
There is a lot to be said about what you see and hear on that tape, all of which is bad, but today I'm only going to focus on this section:</div>
<blockquote>
<i><b>Donald Trump:</b> "I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her. You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.” </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><b>*Billy Bush:</b> "Whatever you want.” </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><b>Donald Trump:</b> "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”</i></blockquote>
There are a lot of defenses going around as people try to fix these unfixable words, most of them center on focusing on the date the tape was made or comparing Trump to other people (as if their moms never taught them "two wrongs don't make a right").<br />
<br />
<b>Senator Jeff Sessions</b> took his defense a step further, after the second presidential debate, when he was <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/jeff-sessions-behavior-described-by-trump-in-grab-them-by-the-p-y-tape-isnt-sexual-assault/article/2004799" target="_blank">interviewed by The Weekly Standard</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Jeff Sessions:</b> This was very improper language, and he's acknowledged that. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>TWS:</b> But beyond the language, would you characterize the behavior described in that [video] as sexual assault if that behavior actually took place? </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Jeff Sessions:</b> I don't characterize that as sexual assault. I think that's a stretch. I don't know what he meant— </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>TWS:</b> So if you grab a woman by the genitals, that's not sexual assault? </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Jeff Sessions:</b> I don't know. It's not clear that he—how that would occur.</i></blockquote>
According to Jeff Sessions, he doesn't know if grabbing a woman by the genitals is sexual assault. You would think a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama would understand the definition of sexual assault, but maybe it never came up in his law classes.<br />
<br />
<h2>
What is sexual assault?</h2>
The <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ovw/sexual-assault" target="_blank">Justice Department defines sexual assault</a> like this (emphasis mine):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.</b> Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, <b>fondling</b>, and attempted rape.</i></blockquote>
That is a pretty heavy list of things that fall under the definition of sexual assault. Let's break this down further.<br />
<br />
You may not know (although I would hope that former U.S. Attorney-turned-Senator Jeff Sessions does) that different states have different laws around sexual assault. <a href="https://apps.rainn.org/policy/" target="_blank"><b>RAINN has a great resource for viewing the sexual assault laws for each state</b></a>, including information on statutes of limitations. I won't walk you through all of them here, but let's take a look at the <a href="https://apps.rainn.org/policy/policy-crime-definitions.cfm?state=New%20York&group=3" target="_blank">sexual assault laws in the State of New York</a>, where Donald Trump lives.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Forcible Touching - Misdemeanor </b><br />
<i>Intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly touching the sexual or other intimate parts of another person for the purpose of degrading or abusing such person; or for the purpose of gratifying the actor's sexual desire. (N.Y. Penal Law § 130.52)</i></blockquote>
This crime is considered a misdemeanor in the state of New York, and the possible punishment is a maximum of 1 year in prison.<br />
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Now let's take a look at the <a href="https://apps.rainn.org/policy/policy-crime-definitions.cfm?state=Alabama&group=3" target="_blank">sexual assault laws in the state of Alabama</a>, where Jeff Sessions lives, and used to be a U.S. Attorney:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Sexual Abuse In The First Degree</b><br />
<i>An actor commits sexual abuse in the first degree if he:<br />1. subjects another person to sexual contact by forcible compulsion; or<br />2. subjects another person to sexual contact who is incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless or mentally incapacitated. (</i><i>Ala. Code § 13A-6-66)</i></blockquote>
Alabama takes a tough view of this crime, they consider it a Class C Felony and the possible punishment is imprisonment of not more than 10 years or less than 1 year and 1 day as well as a fine not exceeding $15,000.<br />
<br />
As to Senator Sessions comment about not being clear how grabbing a woman by the pussy would occur, I would invite him to spend some time reading the <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kelly-oxford-starts-social-media-movement-of-women-sharing-sexual-assault-stories/" target="_blank">responses Kelly Oxford received on Twitter</a> after she asked women to share the stories of the first time they were sexually assaulted.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Women: tweet me your first assaults. they aren't just stats. I'll go first:<br />
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Old man on city bus grabs my "pussy" and smiles at me, I'm 12.</div>
— kelly oxford (@kellyoxford) <a href="https://twitter.com/kellyoxford/status/784541062119456769">October 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
That was sexual assault.<br />
<br />
Any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient is sexual assault.<br />
<br />
But it's more than that.<br />
<br />
The words sexual assault seem so big, so damning, so grave to those who are trying to dance around them right now. How can you possibly use something that serious to describe this bus conversation? But to those of us who have experienced sexual assault, the words feel almost sterile. Small. Not enough. It's impossible to take two words, and fit into them all of the feelings, the violation, the trauma, of being the victim of sexual assault.<br />
<br />
<b>I was four years old the first time <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2010/05/4pm-tracies-story.html" target="">my uncle touched me</a>. That was not the last time it happened. Every time was an act of sexual assault.</b><br />
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The definition of sexual assault isn't hard, unless you are trying to excuse it.<br />
<br />
It's actually quite clear. And it's always wrong.<br />
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<i>*This is the same Billy Bush who once told Mackenzie Phillips that incest should be a "private thing" and didn't want to talk about it on tv.</i><br />
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;">If you have been the victim of sexual assault</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;"> and need help, or you want to help a loved one, you can contact </span><a href="http://www.rainn.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #80a4cb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">RAINN</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;"> or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;">If you suspect that a child is being abused</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;">, or if you are a child or teen who is being abused, you can contact </span><a href="http://www.childhelp.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #80a4cb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Child Help</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;"> or call the National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD.</span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.5px;"><br /></span>Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-44808889907621852002016-10-05T23:30:00.000-04:002016-10-05T23:30:56.257-04:00Luke's Diner Popped Up In Arizona, And It Was AmazingTo help celebrate the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls (it's dropping on November 25th, so cancel your Black Friday plans — there will be 4 new episodes of Gilmore Girls to watch), Netflix set up pop-up Luke's Diners in coffee shops all across the country this morning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgLj31ojzeZlvDhsZVwZo3iAaun4Xc70fm3lg4Gl1BD1HhboM9-ctEm7WxW5KwgKYlkN5_NFgcyVDJgo7F2h-8UjuRD6zMUq0khp5vqSlqZDKppeInQ_kA454rpDIGuMyjWAW/s1600/lukes-diner-coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Luke's Diner Coffee Cup" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgLj31ojzeZlvDhsZVwZo3iAaun4Xc70fm3lg4Gl1BD1HhboM9-ctEm7WxW5KwgKYlkN5_NFgcyVDJgo7F2h-8UjuRD6zMUq0khp5vqSlqZDKppeInQ_kA454rpDIGuMyjWAW/s640/lukes-diner-coffee.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
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You know my Gilmore Girls-loving family had to visit Luke's Diner in Arizona. We woke up to the crisp feel of fall in the air, which was perfect for our trip to Stars Hollow, otherwise known as the Octane Cafe. The line was already forming when we arrived, so it was a good thing we got there early.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJzrYqkUE3U1EooLvc6TFcxGilYfVWGNklbZpPHBrVO_BcSqvGXGV9Trb-SnWjka4LD36WEslVGOTPpzQKAr4b3MrYpx6bOAyQ0Ly9aSlbTSAyCYoxdeLCMWYx6FrO33I0pM3/s1600/lukes-diner-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Luke's Diner Sign Octane Cafe Mesa Arizona" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJzrYqkUE3U1EooLvc6TFcxGilYfVWGNklbZpPHBrVO_BcSqvGXGV9Trb-SnWjka4LD36WEslVGOTPpzQKAr4b3MrYpx6bOAyQ0Ly9aSlbTSAyCYoxdeLCMWYx6FrO33I0pM3/s640/lukes-diner-sign.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
Katarina wore her classic Luke's Diner t-shirt. I wore plaid in honor of Luke along with a denim jacket and hat Lorelai would love.<br />
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Octane Cafe and the baristas were decked out in Luke's Diner accessories.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1QjFiCsV0-iQruzFP5O1cIXTWSALi65VsgCqHoHsL-xKML3z4n9Im5zQ1-Y0lPb59mfa6Aq8NU5UZacRvWGaABH5FkfanIW0vQpUj6oSkqdhBjFhmR4Bx-l1ieg1KHdI4CSs/s1600/20161005_071407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Luke's Diner Octane Cafe" border="0" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1QjFiCsV0-iQruzFP5O1cIXTWSALi65VsgCqHoHsL-xKML3z4n9Im5zQ1-Y0lPb59mfa6Aq8NU5UZacRvWGaABH5FkfanIW0vQpUj6oSkqdhBjFhmR4Bx-l1ieg1KHdI4CSs/s400/20161005_071407.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf01FWAdXI3RWCrSgq7W921dmAmdBrZU5qxfU3HpgcXWeQuniRoVA2Y25xC98rUdMwI6VuD5B9FJ2GVJv8TwbbMiUqdHR2YhfDPBr3enpIEIE7oGNjILBI9ixPhVCQRQra8Nz/s1600/octane-cafe-lukes-diner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Octane Cafe Mesa Arizona" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaf01FWAdXI3RWCrSgq7W921dmAmdBrZU5qxfU3HpgcXWeQuniRoVA2Y25xC98rUdMwI6VuD5B9FJ2GVJv8TwbbMiUqdHR2YhfDPBr3enpIEIE7oGNjILBI9ixPhVCQRQra8Nz/s400/octane-cafe-lukes-diner.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiG-LMVyHoLM8zlni1BnELxW8Ut83QHZXHpx5CrMK5_Gl3wfUK30q0BKyHHbfXAxihgVUJthF4OfIAJ22JfRvv-EoCxqlpUlCQfJfVN5HyESHTN9D5xWv60otwGZgttv19TFH/s1600/20161005_071205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiG-LMVyHoLM8zlni1BnELxW8Ut83QHZXHpx5CrMK5_Gl3wfUK30q0BKyHHbfXAxihgVUJthF4OfIAJ22JfRvv-EoCxqlpUlCQfJfVN5HyESHTN9D5xWv60otwGZgttv19TFH/s640/20161005_071205.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsX3M9Cs9beR288-gldeMAxohcJH8bMzzqq98hOJoB_N9diMfmOgBVaMheIJE7CpJYx0HFAwxhXpp_Tg8wvGmDY2fB6HOCHqjcjgGfM1IWI1FmUkS2RzrElMTMwqVlw4k3MmvB/s1600/no-cell-phones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsX3M9Cs9beR288-gldeMAxohcJH8bMzzqq98hOJoB_N9diMfmOgBVaMheIJE7CpJYx0HFAwxhXpp_Tg8wvGmDY2fB6HOCHqjcjgGfM1IWI1FmUkS2RzrElMTMwqVlw4k3MmvB/s640/no-cell-phones.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We used cell phones to take these pictures (<i>don't tell Luke!</i>), and then we ordered cups of coffee and orange cranberry muffins, both of which were delicious.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0XwLTKmaZU6wkHjb-Tt7_SjWATnijAexvExIeOAbN3Etfa1LIRWPIfBZcZu68sk5BKwmWbURr61mwQUvaXLKOwo0NjfYI9khX2QikVRNwQEdGyN8IWiVCbsm_px2NjPfo4Z9/s1600/gilmore-girls-netflix-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Netflix Luke's Diner Sign" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0XwLTKmaZU6wkHjb-Tt7_SjWATnijAexvExIeOAbN3Etfa1LIRWPIfBZcZu68sk5BKwmWbURr61mwQUvaXLKOwo0NjfYI9khX2QikVRNwQEdGyN8IWiVCbsm_px2NjPfo4Z9/s640/gilmore-girls-netflix-sign.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
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It was the perfect start to a beautiful, fall morning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDmMEedBc57fu2h97LHE2s-fa7VClXfCsKn1JKA5KdIKWQUK1pVXTeu13WnMsZbPhcq-cDrY1N797fd-i1pa-RzLtKCRoWO3ZNeDD8nTb5GGLkSXCgUKI1oAsnvpFJI7aYX9u/s1600/20161005_072145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tracie and Katarina at Octane Cafe for the Netflix Luke's Diner Pop Up " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDmMEedBc57fu2h97LHE2s-fa7VClXfCsKn1JKA5KdIKWQUK1pVXTeu13WnMsZbPhcq-cDrY1N797fd-i1pa-RzLtKCRoWO3ZNeDD8nTb5GGLkSXCgUKI1oAsnvpFJI7aYX9u/s400/20161005_072145.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
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Underneath the Luke's sleeve was a quote from Gilmore Girls.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5viaFVcDa8SXVrXoqkX9tYZtbBvr9TbNdZyWHx2MLfwORTiN4pM4zvhT2exRY0uDnmeyxVVNitVPsB2jWWg4SnItQuhhUPnv0ZGVEFByQfjiOpd8fXRJ_Z9vHHrxexCrCP6xU/s1600/gilmore-girls-quote-coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5viaFVcDa8SXVrXoqkX9tYZtbBvr9TbNdZyWHx2MLfwORTiN4pM4zvhT2exRY0uDnmeyxVVNitVPsB2jWWg4SnItQuhhUPnv0ZGVEFByQfjiOpd8fXRJ_Z9vHHrxexCrCP6xU/s640/gilmore-girls-quote-coffee.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The other side had a snapchat code for a fun filter.<br />
(I'm snappy: <a href="https://www.snapchat.com/add/fromtracie" target="_blank">@fromtracie</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPitUA8sG0SNspYEegkRAb2LEA0iDuTD51amSHj4BB46vQ-YVyY327_4Selo40eQxuZ4ptzO1Kn35QUD35bfQ2RXJ7YV4fghhuAlNF-TuyygUmm6u5SnaLtgFPQfKhplffCzCT/s1600/Gilmore-Girls-Snapchat-Filter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="gilmore girls snapchat filter netflix" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPitUA8sG0SNspYEegkRAb2LEA0iDuTD51amSHj4BB46vQ-YVyY327_4Selo40eQxuZ4ptzO1Kn35QUD35bfQ2RXJ7YV4fghhuAlNF-TuyygUmm6u5SnaLtgFPQfKhplffCzCT/s640/Gilmore-Girls-Snapchat-Filter.png" title="" width="382" /></a></div>
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I drank coffee out of my Luke's Diner cup all day. It accompanied me to all of the video conference calls I had at work, too. Everything is more fun with a cup of coffee from Luke's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyDuOSx28jqGC8b2CPfkTqS8prfBYrzykZl3ln4NNfv7oMC_EArDwTGeyc2PsWHJY3khIeg0oxP188vh6Lbum7i52339ZggyuDB__LKCC31G0hOm-e29BGvTHaCF9sZm1qOcy/s1600/20161005_091055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="luke's coffee and twitter scheduling" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyDuOSx28jqGC8b2CPfkTqS8prfBYrzykZl3ln4NNfv7oMC_EArDwTGeyc2PsWHJY3khIeg0oxP188vh6Lbum7i52339ZggyuDB__LKCC31G0hOm-e29BGvTHaCF9sZm1qOcy/s400/20161005_091055.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://instagram.com/mrmerrywinkle" target="_blank">Li'l Sebastian P. Merrywinkle</a> agrees. He quite enjoyed snuggling up with a good book and my Luke's Diner coffee cup this afternoon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadKo6f3wNF2IrqH6Fdy1yMRlABvsMpEASODmfAAa-FXrH1iDDNFSq7a4sRYn3wJbNPKenYWQovNC7H6UoOwJ4XV-qIkBuYqb-6OJ4X_8WiYKFeNtD8nnfoxiGYVoz5KGHf7ap/s1600/hedgehog-gilmore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadKo6f3wNF2IrqH6Fdy1yMRlABvsMpEASODmfAAa-FXrH1iDDNFSq7a4sRYn3wJbNPKenYWQovNC7H6UoOwJ4XV-qIkBuYqb-6OJ4X_8WiYKFeNtD8nnfoxiGYVoz5KGHf7ap/s400/hedgehog-gilmore.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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If you live in my area, check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/octanecafecoffee/" target="_blank">Octane Cafe in Mesa, AZ</a>. The coffee is super awesome. And no matter where you live, check out <a href="https://townofstarshollow.org/" target="_blank">the Town of Stars Hollow website</a>. You won't be disappointed.<br />
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<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-83632474153640730632016-09-10T18:58:00.000-04:002016-09-10T18:58:16.493-04:00Heart TattoosYesterday one of my friends got a super cute tattoo, and posted pictures on Facebook this morning. I added it to my mental list of tattoos. (I could probably hashtag that list #TattooGoals.) I love tattoos. I love it when people share their tattoo pictures, and even more when they share the stories behind them.<br />
<br />
This one spoke to me because it was about knitting. I am a knitter.<br />
<br />
I mean, I <i>can</i> knit. <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2009/10/knit-square.html">I taught myself how to knit</a>. I really loved it. Then <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2013/11/i-hit-knitting-wall.html">I hit a knitting wall</a>, both in ability and financially (yarn is expensive, y'all, if you want to buy the good stuff). But I still think of myself as a knitter. I still believe that one day I will pull out those needles and create beautiful things. When I'm in the craft store, I stare at yarn and needles with hungry eyes. Here's the thing, though, I'm not a knitter right now. And I certainly wouldn't get a ball of yarn tattooed on myself right now. The timing doesn't make sense.<br />
<br />
<b>This story perfectly sums up why I don't have a tattoo.</b> I think too far in the future. I put every tattoo idea to the "do I want this on my skin FOREVER?" test. It's not a bad test, really. There are a lot of people out there who have tattoos they don't love anymore. But my test is administered in such a way that nothing will ever pass.<br />
<br />
I thought about this as I was looking at that super cute yarn tattoo today, and the caption that said something about this being tattoo #5 and now it was time to start thinking about #6. And I finally entertained the thought that maybe it doesn't matter if a tattoo is the perfect fit for every day of the rest of your life.<br />
<br />
<b>What if a tattoo was just a snapshot of your life right then</b> — in that moment — the life for which you aren't promised a tomorrow? The life for which forever isn't a reality, anyway. A reminder outside of my head of who I was exactly in a moment in time. A scar, as it were, that illustrated something perfectly. Something that changed me inside, changing me on the outside, too.<br />
<br />
<b>These are the tattoos that exist on my heart, even if they never made it to my skin...(starting with the first time I remember thinking about a tattoo)...</b><br />
<br />
<b>When I was 11</b>, I would have gotten a <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2011/08/ordinary-nothingness-into-void.html">butterfly tattooed on my hand</a>, on the back of my left hand, right by my thumb. I see it sometimes, now, when I stare at my hand really hard.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 12</b>, I was obsessed with always. Always. It was doodled on every school folder and book cover. (<i>I used to write this word on the upper palm of my left hand — sometimes artsy, sometimes longingly, sometimes desperately — and at 12 I really did think I would make it a permanent mark when I was old enough.</i>)<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 14</b>, my friends and I spent months writing "BORN AGAIN" on our inner arms with permanent markers. Thick, dark lines. BORN on my right arm. AGAIN on my left. We would refresh them as they faded. It was the closest thing to permanent in a year where nothing was the same.<br />
<br />
That summer, I would have tattooed green stars. Dainty, but strong. And a pair of converse with an orange ribbon.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 15</b>, I would have tattooed fire. Consuming fire and Hebrew words.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 16</b>, it would have been all about snippets. Bible verses. Song lyrics. Quotes from books. I was buttoned up and covered up. No one would have seen these words, but they were beautiful and written in green, a small purple triangle surrounding every mention of God.<br /><br />I also would have added the word "Beloved" to the upper palm of my right hand.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 17</b>, it would have been a fake tribal tattoo, and I fear it would have happened on my lower back. What can I say, I'm being honest with you. It was the end of the 90's, every girl was doing it, and by this time I would have thrown the careful "do I want this forever" test right out of the window.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 19</b>, I would have tattooed a wedding ring. Beautiful, scrolly, and adorned with a heart and a cross.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 20</b>, I earned a c-section scar. If that isn't a heart tattoo forcing its way out onto the skin, I don't know what is. But it wouldn't have hurt to engrave a date right over my heart to go with it.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 21</b>, I would have tattooed Survivor on my left foot. This is the path I walk. This is something that will be truly true for the rest of my life.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 26</b>, I would have gotten a knitting tattoo that would have inspired anyone who saw it to pick up a pair of needles and start purling. Okay, it might not have been THAT awesome. But it would have been pretty awesome. I am a knitter, after all.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 27</b>, I would have tattooed an entire picture around my upper left arm. A VW bus parked under a tree heavy with yellow flowers. The bus would have had the words "Yellow Joy Machine" painted on the side.<br />
<br />
I also would have added "Love" to one of my wrists. The right one, on the top of my arm. Like a bracelet. With a small star at the end. <i><a href="https://twloha.com/" target="_blank">*To Write Love On Her Arms</a></i><br />
<br />
<b>When I was 28</b>, I would have tattooed "Choose Joy" written in <a href="http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sarah's handwriting</a>. It would have fit perfectly on my right foot.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 29</b>, I would have tattooed a classic cassette tape. The handwritten title would have read simply "Misty."<br />
<br />
I also would have added the word "Hope" to my right shoulder.<br />
<br />
<b>When I was 30</b>, I would have made an update to my Always tattoo. This is the year I read Harry Potter for the first time. When I reached the moment where Snape said, "Always" I held the book close to my heart, and thought, "That's <i>my</i> word." It was a big moment for me. I pay extra close attention to every Snape-inspired Always tattoo.<br />
<br />
I would have also added a semicolon to the outside of my right hand, matching up with the butterfly on my left. <i><a href="http://www.projectsemicolon.org/" target="_blank">*Project Semicolon</a></i><br />
<br />
<b>When I was 33 (that's this year)</b>, I would tattoo another picture, this time around my upper right arm. A periwinkle car parked in the dessert by a prickly pear cactus. The cactus pads are turning purple. Three blooms would be visible, reaching up towards the sun setting behind mountains in the background.<br />
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______________________________________</div>
<br />
<i>It's been a while since I've written here. A combination of a busy work life, a huge change in my personal life, and the darkness and light that both hold back words in different ways. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>My family moved to Arizona in April, after <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2012/06/things-im-afraid-to-tell-you.html">living in Orlando</a> for nine years. It's a move that took a long time (much longer than anticipated — we had headed down to Orlando in a black SUV for a two week trip and visit to Disney World on the way to Arizona, and got stuck). It's a move that was an answer to many thousands of prayers. The desert has welcomed me back home. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckuGx2etjT-rbxBykURQ5d3er3kUf706cgx6yJJBv5AFJQ-7fXd2O-eHbx6EerpWCb_3iMNZBUX-Y3AZwbhX3mMgkNRaCRpPjMq78o0DhRYbuPg_AmDXn0nSC04NbDyR21JZG/s1600/arizona-desert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Arizona Desert" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckuGx2etjT-rbxBykURQ5d3er3kUf706cgx6yJJBv5AFJQ-7fXd2O-eHbx6EerpWCb_3iMNZBUX-Y3AZwbhX3mMgkNRaCRpPjMq78o0DhRYbuPg_AmDXn0nSC04NbDyR21JZG/s1600/arizona-desert.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<i>Also, we have a hedgehog now. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>His name is <b>Li'l Sebastian P. Merrywinkle</b>. Sometimes, he wears a hat. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<br />
<i>Have you looked at hedgehog tattoos? </i><br />
<i>They are almost as cute as the real thing. Especially the bookish ones.</i><br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-55971312625059187222016-02-21T21:57:00.000-05:002016-02-21T21:57:09.474-05:00The Kiesling Siren It blinks at me.<br />
<br />
Like a warning.<br />
<br />
Like a soundless siren.<br />
<br />
Bink. Blink. Blink.<br />
<br />
Taunting me.<br />
<br />
Screaming at me.<br />
<br />
I dream about it at night.<br />
<br />
The endless blinking, calling out to me.<br />
<br />
This thin little line.<br />
<br />
Blink. Blink. Blink.<br />
<br />
Like an I without the serifs.<br />
<br />
Like an I who wants to write - who wants me to write - but can not without my help.<br />
<br />
This I is me.<br />
<br />
I want words. I want to put words together in beautiful lines.<br />
<br />
We are in this together - I and the blinking I.<br />
<br />
Maybe it is Kiesling's voice that calls out to me in the night?<br />
<br />
"Hello. The blinking line is your friend. Why have you not written today?"<br />
<br />
Make it move. Give it words. Allow it to work and help you.<br />
<br />
The faster you type, the less it blinks.<br />
<br />
Don't give it that chance unless you must.<br />
<br />
Type your words.<br />
<br />
Type without thinking.<br />
<br />
Without backing down.<br />
<br />
Without editing.<br />
<br />
Hit publish before it can blink again.<br />
<br />
Only then can you conquer Kiesling's line.<br />
<br />
Only then can you turn off the siren and quiet your mind.<br />
<br />
Only then can you write again.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>*Thank you <a href="http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/13986254/?fullname=charles-a,-sr-kiesling" target="_blank">Charles A Kiesling</a>, for inventing the blinking cursor. </i><br />
<i>It is both friend and foe to writers everywhere. </i><br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-19824221816245818332016-01-28T20:44:00.000-05:002016-02-16T15:57:46.562-05:00Chicken Bacon FlatbreadFootball is great. I'll be watching the big game next week for sure, but I have to admit there is one part of game day I love more than than the game — the food. I'm all about game day food. Sliders, nachos, pizza, potato skins, chicken wings, chips and dips. I love it ALL. So the big question in my house is, what are we eating for the big game? And the answer is, <b>Chicken Bacon Flatbread</b>. Yes!<br />
<br />
This post has been sponsored by Naturally Fresh®.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilm6GlJIKEn00OT1myaPGzxcGdIjJpKCHbj14SIUwf4PHAIt0CYCQGfBUCscZ9cdVdUPV6JWV53HSi-J1sIK6ZLuJ_jTLSQ5RcUsb1zALhq3VcRHt0wDgluxlB7w9aKmFz1W1f/s1600/chicken-flatbread.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chicken Bacon Flatbread | With great fresh ingredients, spicy sriracha and classic ranch, this flatbread is a perfect dinner recipe." border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilm6GlJIKEn00OT1myaPGzxcGdIjJpKCHbj14SIUwf4PHAIt0CYCQGfBUCscZ9cdVdUPV6JWV53HSi-J1sIK6ZLuJ_jTLSQ5RcUsb1zALhq3VcRHt0wDgluxlB7w9aKmFz1W1f/s640/chicken-flatbread.jpeg" title="" width="440" /></a></div>
<h2>
Chicken Bacon Flatbread</h2>
This recipe is combines everything I need in my life: the flavors are great, the preparation is simple, and it's actually better-for-you than most of the food I eat. Look at these great, fresh ingredients.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFcF514qME_E-j3ZDVGlEot1qcgnmKfo3MEaHTegqMc-n8nOTIAs5MGC_3civL4Ee62VwQVjb3v_SsT5s64w3c9sTgGBpK2z2lLjr5eQVezMn-fJZAJ229y18Zk5ZS-Z7MsiI/s1600/chicken-flatbread-ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chicken Bacon Flatbread Ingredients" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFcF514qME_E-j3ZDVGlEot1qcgnmKfo3MEaHTegqMc-n8nOTIAs5MGC_3civL4Ee62VwQVjb3v_SsT5s64w3c9sTgGBpK2z2lLjr5eQVezMn-fJZAJ229y18Zk5ZS-Z7MsiI/s1600/chicken-flatbread-ingredients.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<b>Chicken Bacon Flatbread Ingredients:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>2 pieces of flatbread or naan</li>
<li>2 chicken breasts</li>
<li>4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled</li>
<li>Salt and pepper</li>
<li>1⁄2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese</li>
<li>1⁄4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese</li>
<li>1⁄2 cup roasted red pepper strips</li>
<li>1⁄2 red onion, sliced</li>
<li>1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro</li>
<li>1⁄2 avocado, diced</li>
<li>1⁄4 cup sriracha</li>
<li>1⁄2 cup Naturally Fresh® Classic Ranch</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMFc-2oH3MOrlOV8y2QKAQyHc8pLnGw3jQg_A114QauwNQ_mgj_mw-EPujAG7YDyHv_Kv6zZ_agNgr5vnC2nW04jGbvNMsTNf9lT5CZ2fcR9ynypry3G3k4ByWFwEqDBDAYRJ/s1600/flatbread-with-chicken-ranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chicken Bacon Flatbread | With great fresh ingredients, spicy sriracha and classic ranch, this flatbread is a perfect dinner recipe." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMFc-2oH3MOrlOV8y2QKAQyHc8pLnGw3jQg_A114QauwNQ_mgj_mw-EPujAG7YDyHv_Kv6zZ_agNgr5vnC2nW04jGbvNMsTNf9lT5CZ2fcR9ynypry3G3k4ByWFwEqDBDAYRJ/s1600/flatbread-with-chicken-ranch.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<b>Let’s Make It</b><br />
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.<br />
<br />
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook and then dice your chicken into small chunks.<br />
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Brush flatbread pieces lightly with olive oil.<br />
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Spread 1⁄4 cup ranch onto flatbreads.<br />
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Top with 1⁄4 cup mozzarella cheese.<br />
<br />
Add chicken, red pepper strips, and onion. Top with remaining cheese.<br />
<br />
Bake in your oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted. Remove flatbreads from oven and add cilantro and avocado. Top with sriracha to taste and add the remaining ranch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1xImh_pHxB9s9vkSE_YHkhILLDM_YMVOWWAM0djxFeCK9_X3UKsLtSimQ0Ax49vpAPD_aBW0-hbSisr0Ivm4YQ8zUXLJiP7I4fhv3wxPS4XYNYahmoj3SinvpjXytUHZos_m/s1600/naturally-fresh-classic-ranch.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Chicken Bacon Flatbread | With great fresh ingredients, spicy sriracha and classic ranch, this flatbread is a perfect dinner recipe." border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1xImh_pHxB9s9vkSE_YHkhILLDM_YMVOWWAM0djxFeCK9_X3UKsLtSimQ0Ax49vpAPD_aBW0-hbSisr0Ivm4YQ8zUXLJiP7I4fhv3wxPS4XYNYahmoj3SinvpjXytUHZos_m/s640/naturally-fresh-classic-ranch.jpg" title="" width="424" /></a></div>
<br />
Thomas discovered sriracha a few months ago, and since then, it's been appearing everywhere! Sriracha is yummy, but even though I like the taste, the spice is a bit much for me.<br />
<br />
The secret to making this flatbread recipe something we can both love is using creamy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/naturallyfreshproducts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Classic Ranch made with Naturally Fresh’s® own buttermilk</a>. You'll find it in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, because it doesn't have any artificial flavors or preservatives. Thomas adds extra sriracha to his flatbread, and I add extra Classic Ranch. It's a beautiful thing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_l-r4xiBG5FAayuOf_xRuKMhL4KcNz_gpeM9MI8xUCYRrciiwetgu0QSUJtDhBZN2NZ6Br9TeiwK_x37pYFDAVlTqrx26vMIuIxdK274xp_kuDyVIuU0moxlUgRZbKXL4wPJ/s1600/ranch-avocado-flatbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chicken Bacon Flatbread | With great fresh ingredients, spicy sriracha and classic ranch, this flatbread is a perfect dinner recipe." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_l-r4xiBG5FAayuOf_xRuKMhL4KcNz_gpeM9MI8xUCYRrciiwetgu0QSUJtDhBZN2NZ6Br9TeiwK_x37pYFDAVlTqrx26vMIuIxdK274xp_kuDyVIuU0moxlUgRZbKXL4wPJ/s1600/ranch-avocado-flatbread.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
<br />
There you have it. The perfect food for game day (<i>or any day, really</i>). If you are having people over for the game, you can have everyone make their own flatbread so they get exactly what they like. So fun. I think we are going to try the Naturally Fresh® Bleu Cheese next time we make this. It has chunks of aged bleu cheese mixed in with the buttermilk, and that sounds amazing.<br />
<br />
To take your game day snacking to the next level, check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/naturallyfreshproducts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Naturally Fresh® Facebook page</a> and <a href="http://naturallyfresh.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> where they share lots of yummy recipes.<br />
<br />
<b>What will you be eating while you watch the big game?</b><br />
<br />
<i>*This post has been sponsored by Naturally Fresh®, but all opinions (and deep love of game day food) are my own.</i>Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-31220486975580104452015-10-13T22:46:00.000-04:002015-10-13T22:46:03.054-04:00Root Canal In ParisAt the Barnes & Noble by my house, there is someone who really loves Paris, because there is at least one table that always has Paris-themed books on it no matter what the season or greater theme for the display. During a recent trip, I wrote down a couple of titles I wanted to check out at the library, and then promptly forgot about them.<br />
<br />
Last week I had to have a root canal. The night before, I went online to check out a couple of books from the library, and remembered those Paris titles. I was too lazy to actually get out of bed and find the piece of paper in my purse all the way on the other side of the room, so I mostly searched for books with Paris in the title. I found <i>Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes</i> and recognized it from the B&N table, even though I don't think it was one of the titles I wrote down. I downloaded it with plans to spend the next afternoon happily reading after my trip to the dentist.<br />
<br />
There's something you have to know. Dental anesthesia doesn't work for me. I've had cavities filled, and a couple of teeth pulled, and while the outside of my face will get annoyingly numb, the inside of the tooth, the nerve, my jaw have no numbness at all, and I feel every bit of the procedure. My new dentist was dismissive of my warning (probably only one step away from using the words "hysterical girl") and assured me the endodontist was a master with anesthesia.<br />
<br />
I didn't believe this, mind you, but I allowed myself to be hopeful that it wouldn't be much worse than a filling. As I settled into the chair before my root canal, I repeated this warning for the endodontist and his assistant. He wasn't nearly as dismissive as the dentist, but he was confident he would be able to achieve full numbness for me. He was wrong. And I can now assure you that a root canal essentially without anesthesia is much worse than a filling. It is worse than 27 hours of labor. It is no good at all.<br />
<br />
The endodontist was great. He was very nice throughout the entire two and a half hours it took to complete the root canal. He even found the fourth canal which is tricky. And he probably apologized at least 84 times, both horrified and fascinated by my lack of numbness. I have now become his special story "there has only been ONE patient in my whole career whom I could not anesthetize" for dental cocktail parties or nervous patients. I may take small solace in that - once the pain of the root canal fades away.<br />
<br />
When I finally arrived home that afternoon, I was in much pain and didn't want the noise of the television. I was also quite hungry, but completely unable to chew. It was then I picked up <i>Lunch In Paris </i>to try to distract my mind. Probably not smart timing, it being a book with both lunch and recipes in the title, but I was thinking of it as a light Parisian romance.<br />
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Lunch In Paris is a memoir about Elizabeth Bard's marriage and life in France - but really it is a cookbook and an accounting of every amazing meal she has eaten. In an early chapter she describes a pavé au poivre:<br />
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"It was not a particularly impressive plate - a hunk of meat, fat fried potatoes piled carelessly to one side. But something happened as I sliced the first bite - no resistance, none at all. The knife slid through the meat; the thinnest layer of crusty brown opening to reveal a pulpy red heart. I watched as the pink juices puddled into the buttery pepper sauce...I must have uttered an audible gasp of pleasure"</blockquote>
I took four ibuprofen and a nap after reading that chapter, and I dreamed about that steak. And then I continued to dream about that steak for the rest of the week while I was unable to chew and only eating Kraft Mac & Cheese.<br />
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While this isn't the most inspiring memoir I've ever read (and my favorite memoir of an American woman moving to France will always be <i><a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2014/01/a-lady-in-france.html" target="_blank">A Lady In France</a></i>) it is enjoyable and full of some of the best food descriptions I've ever read. And even though I know it won't happen, Bard makes me want to go into a kitchen and try to cook with her recipes. That's worth something. Just don't try to read it after a major dental procedure like I did.<br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-55144539328248777102015-07-12T21:01:00.000-04:002015-07-12T21:01:07.578-04:00That Time Dr. Seuss, America, and Super Heroes Stopped Me From Working At The LibraryRecently I needed a quiet space with great internet to record a video conference for work. I couldn't do it at home or a coffee shop (too much noise) so I came up with the brilliant idea to use my local library. <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2014/09/welcome-to-honey-month-or-time-i.html" target="_blank">My library</a> is great for things like this - they have special quiet rooms you can reserve ahead of time, and even a couple you can claim in the moment if no one else is using them. They even have an area where people can use a 3D printer, record albums, or use special photography equipment. Surely my library would be the perfect answer.<br />
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The day arrived. Thomas dropped me and Katarina off at the library when the doors opened at 9am. It was going to be a great day.<br />
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I noticed a large amount of Dr. Seuss themed decorations as we walked through the library. Large banners, balloon sculptures, baskets with workbooks and signs about reading and writing. Being a lover of Dr. Seuss, I was excited, even pausing long enough to take a couple of pictures with the balloons. "This is the best library day EVER" I thought.<br />
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One of the librarians told me they were having a Dr. Seuss extravaganza, and were bussing in over 100 kids for a fun rock concert to kick off a summer writing challenge.<br />
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The writer inside of me was very excited. The person who needed to work was a little concerned at the words "fun rock concert" but how loud could it be, really. I mean, it is a library, right? I confirmed that they would be finished with the event before my video conference was going to start, and didn't worry about it.<br />
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Katarina and I settled in the YA section - she to look at books, me to work.<br />
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The band arrived for sound check. They loudly sang a song about germs and toilet seats.<br />
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Thing 1 and Thing 2 came by to wave and give us high fives. They came back a few minutes later and brought us a balloon.<br />
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As the kids started arriving, I admitted to myself that this event was going to be very loud. I quickly started looking for a quiet space to make a few necessary phone calls. Since the concert was in the main library, I found the children's section deserted and set up under the watchful eye of a magical lizard wizard. Katarina and I hung out there until the rock band finished their concert. Only small strains of germ songs filtered through the phone.<br />
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After lunch we moved to my reserved quiet room to settle in for the video conference. I connected with my partner, and everything was great for about one minute - until his town started their monthly tornado warning drill. I've never lived anywhere were they had tornado warning sirens, and I always wondered if they would really be loud enough to wake someone up. I can now say with confidence that those things will wake you up. It was LOUD. The whole process took about 15 minutes. We waited and laughed at the absurdity of the noise interrupting our recording session, and I told him about the Dr Seuss extravaganza he had missed that morning.<br />
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When the siren ended, it was time to get down to work. Three minutes in I heard music and then singing. "Do you hear that sound?" I asked, hoping the microphone wasn't picking it up.<br />
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"I am starting to feel a little patriotic. Is that America The Beautiful?" he responded.<br />
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"Yes. I think there are a couple of teenagers watching a video on the computers near the quiet room. We will wait it out for just a minute. The song is almost finished." But a song from Oh Brother Where Art Thou started almost immediately after that one ended, even thought the teenagers had walked away, and the computer screen was blank.<br />
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"Excuse me for just a minute while I go investigate this noise. I can't believe a librarian hasn't shut it down already." I left my quiet room and the music got louder as I walked around the corner to find a choir set up in the center of the library. They were preforming a history of America through song, complete with vintage costumes, to a crowd of about 65 people and what looked like professional videographers and a news crew. This couldn't really be happening.<br />
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I sprinted to the information desk and asked if there was an unclaimed quiet room on one of the other floors. They found one room that hadn't been claimed for the day. I quickly went back to my computer, told my partner to give me a few minutes to move, and started packing up all of our stuff. Katarina and I ran up three flights of stairs and collapsed in the new quiet room. I turned on the computer, to find that this room was in what seemed to be an internet black hole. I got enough of a connection to pull up the video conference and confirm that there was no way this was going to work. I needed to be downstairs where the internet connection was stronger.<br />
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Trying to salvage this long-planned recording, I sent Katarina downstairs to ask the information desk how long the choir performance was going to last. She arrived back at the quiet room to tell me they were gone. "Totally gone. The signs have been taken down, there is no sound equipment or costumed singers. Even the film crews have disappeared. It is like they were never there."<br />
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"Give me five more minutes to move back downstairs and we will make this happen," I told my very patient partner.<br />
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We repacked our stuff, ran down three flights of stairs, and headed towards our original quiet room. As I turned the corner, one of the librarians stopped me. "I saw y'all run out of here when the choir came. Sorry about all the noise. I know you are trying to work today, so I thought I would catch you before you go back there, to let you know that we have a Super Hero party scheduled to start in seven minutes, and it is being held right outside the quiet rooms."<br />
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Dejected I walked into the quiet room, fired up the computer, connected to my video conference and shared the latest update. The super heroes were on their way and there would be no quiet in the library that day. To which my video partner replied, "Super hero party? What kind of library <i>is</i> this? I've never been in such a loud library in my whole life."<br />
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"I know. They need one of those stereotypical old lady librarians with a bun and little glasses to come out here and shush everyone."<br />
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I rescheduled our conference with a promise to secure a recording location that was less of a circus and called Thomas to pick us up. I was officially giving up on the library. While I waited, I stopped by the information desk one last time to ask about all of the events that day, "Is this normal?"<br />
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"We have a pretty busy schedule during the summer. Here is a calendar with all of our events for the next two months. You might want to check it out before setting up work time here." with that he handed me a thick schedule of events with pages full of descriptions of reading programs, robot camps, community events, kids activities, author interviews, movie screenings, science presentations, art shows, computer classes, and more.<br />
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I'm torn between being angry at my library for being a loud circus when I needed it, and being so very excited that I have the best library ever....as long as you aren't looking for a quiet space to study or work during the summer months.<br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-86227436715956355752015-06-23T05:49:00.000-04:002015-06-23T05:49:30.225-04:00This Is My Fight Song<i>I've been meaning to write something for <a href="http://www.mrsaokaworkinprogress.com/" target="_blank">Dean</a> and <a href="http://wilhelmfam.com/" target="_blank">Courtney</a>'s That's What She Said link up for weeks now, and today I'm actually sitting down to do it. The prompt is a line from Rachel Platten's Fight Song...</i><br />
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If I was to get very literal with you (<i>the real meaning of literal - not the new ridiculous meaning where "literally" somehow means not literal at all</i>), I would say my fight song for many years has been Be Wise, Be Strong, Be You. It is the song I put on repeat when I write hard things. It is the song I have sung, clung to, screamed, written out on paper when there were no other words, cried with, danced to, and shouted...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #444444;">"If they shut one door then you open another<br />There's no telling where you'll go from here<br />And if they take your spirit keep your soul under cover<br />Make your path and just stay in the clear<br />So be wise, be strong, be you<br />There's nothing that you can't do."<br />- Be Wise, Be Strong, Be You - Cee Cee Michaela</span></i></blockquote>
I have a playlist on Spotify named "Tracie's Power Music" that is all of my fight songs. It is one of the few playlists I've taken the time to cultivate - only really great songs that are full of heart words make the cut. Songs that weave a mantle of strength around me.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #444444;">"'Cause I have been where you are before<br />And I have felt the pain of losing who you are<br />And I have died so many times, but I am still alive<br />This is not the end of me, this is the beginning."<br />
- I Belive - Christina Perri</span></i></blockquote>
What is my fight song in less literal terms? What is it that helps me to take back my life, to make me all right, to turn up my power, and make me strong? Words. Writing. This space.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #444444;">"Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do<br />When they settle 'neath your skin<br />Kept on the inside and no sunlight<br />Sometimes a shadow wins<br />But I wonder what would happen if you<br />Say what you wanna say<br />And let the words fall out<br />Honestly I wanna see you be brave."<br />- Brave - Sara Bareilles</span></i></blockquote>
If <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2014/10/i-will-be-wasting-time-on-internet-and.html" target="_blank">writing online is a poem that builds an incredible portrait of what it is like to be alive now</a> - then this really is my fight song. Even thought this is the piece of me that I give to the world, it is also the piece I keep very much for myself.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #444444;">"But you've gotta make your own kind of music<br />Sing your own special song<br />Make your own kind of music<br />Even if nobody else sings along."<br />- Make Your Own Kind Of Music - Mama Cass</span></i></blockquote>
In writing, I can be truly and honestly me in ways that aren't always so easy out there in daily conversation. I can take the time to be thoughtful. I can take chances and take flight.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #444444;">"Get up and go<br />Take a chance and be strong<br />Or you could spend your whole life holding on<br />Don't look back; just go<br />Take a breath, move along<br />Or you could spend your whole life holding on."<br />- Go - Boys Like Girls</span></i></blockquote>
And maybe, on occasion, I can write the things that are in your heart, too.<br />
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Just like any good fight song.<br />
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<b>What is your fight song? </b><br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-7669198858410485132015-06-16T21:05:00.000-04:002015-06-19T21:25:36.982-04:00Keep Your Kids On Track For A Safe Summer<img alt="Tracking Pixel" src="http://ec2-54-244-107-86.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/tracker.php?cid=00DE0000000eHXcMAM&pixel=1E000000X38sMIAR" />
My childhood summer days were comprised of hours of reading punctuated by bike rides and occasional adventures in the woods. When I was little, there were a lot of safety rules my mom taught me over and over again - only jump in the water feet first, look both ways before crossing a street (preferably while holding the hand of an adult), don't talk to strangers, no playing or gathering blackberries near the train tracks, sit on your butt while sliding down a slide, mind the warning flags at the beach, and absolutely stay away from the half burnt down house in the woods.<br />
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Now that I'm the mom, it is my job to share those safety rules with Katarina. And I'm not off the hook because she is in her tween years. I only have to think back to the time I thought it would be a good idea to jump off of my friend's roof when I was 12 years old to remind myself that tweens and teens need safety rules, too.<br />
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That is why I am excited to work with <b>Shriners Hospitals for Children®</b> this summer to help promote their <a href="http://bit.ly/1En6ZIq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>On Track For A Safe Summer Campaign</b></a>. Because parents need all the help and support they can get as they teach their kids about safety.<br />
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<a href="http://bit.ly/1En6ZIq" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Shriners Hospitals For Children Safe Summer Event " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs6wMMRy_Vf1g1Dn5FUjFFqsymKhlwpjDmm1ANa96hKLlob3gN7nDFOkjT0Tw5KbHRArPd3tvYcisZxBhk18pkA20OLeZFOn2rpTPb-avV7Js2aAMcFsmTEIWk3Uvl3Y1axNn/s1600/Shriners-Sign.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<h2>
National Safety Month</h2>
June has been designated National Safety Month. It is the start of summer - or what public health and medical professionals in the United States call "trauma season," because serious injuries and unintentional deaths increase dramatically among children during these months. Scary.<br />
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Katarina and I recently attended a safe summer event at <a href="http://bit.ly/1En6ZIq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shriners Hospitals for Children®</a> in Tampa. It was pretty awesome. The kids and their parents were taken on a journey through several safety stations to learn important tips. I'm going to share some of my favorites with you today, so you can help your kids get on track for a safe summer.<br />
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<b>Safe Summer Tip: Wear Sunscreen EVERY Time You Go Outside</b><br />
I'm all about sunscreen now that I'm an adult, but kids just want to run outside and play as fast as they can. I remember those years of not caring about sunscreen, and I remember the second degree burns I got after I spent nine hours at the beach without any sunscreen when I was a teenager. Ouch! As you might guess, I took Katarina straight to the sunscreen station to reinforce the lessons I've been teaching her since she was little.<br />
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Shriners Hospitals for Children® knows what kids like. They made the stations both informative and fun, as you can see in the picture of Katarina getting ready to go outside. She has her shoes, hat, and sunscreen and is all ready to go!<br />
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<b>Safe Summer Tip: Life Jackets Are NOT One Size Fits All</b><br />
Water safety is a huge deal - especially when you live in Florida with beaches and pools all around. Did you know that life jackets aren't one size fits all? Everyone (<i>kids and adults</i>) should wear a life jacket that is Coast Guard approved and fits snug anytime they are boating or participating in water sports.<br />
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<a href="http://bit.ly/1En6ZIq" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Always wear Coast Guard approved life jackets when you participate in water sports. " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX-_gF966ktswQZ9AETy_IsSUikzwZRQ79Ta-ckSgXUextpTvxOvymSySqusea_pS3EDjf8Y6qS_Ny3T_nPdpWTeZ_tgZlCnG-EMET4gx-CGIM3tLE2sv09rW3UC2unzAEH5g/s1600/life-jackets.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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A few important things kids need to know about water safety:<br />
<ul>
<li>Kids should always have an adult with them if they are going to get in the water, even if the water is shallow.</li>
<li>Kids should always jump in the water feet first the first time until they know how deep it really is.</li>
<li>Kids should never dive in the shallow end of the pool or into an above-ground pool. </li>
</ul>
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<b>Safe Summer Tip: Marshmallows Belong In Fires - Kids Don't!</b><br />
I love s'mores, probably more than most people, but as great as it is to gather around a campfire and roast marshmallows to a perfect golden brown, you need to be safe while you do it. Kids should never start fires or be left by themselves to roast marshmallows or cook on a grill. You always need a fire extinguisher or bucket of water nearby when you are going to start even a small fire.<br />
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<a href="http://bit.ly/1En6ZIq" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Learning about fire safety and planning for a safe summer at Shriners Hospital For Children. Always have a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water with you if you are going to build a fire. " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXN_b0Qyb58w4Uy_Qwou-o26A1M3K9zoXknQgaCCxC886lqiJ4pNJBEQrzH-vPpnHeOpU5JOW98qYKRU018-HcXUdjD8-gGGAu8VLUNHKwWU-eVUNouiOBbSmjY-O4CxsfHH4/s1600/fire-safety.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<b>Safe Summer Tip: Playgrounds Are MORE Fun With Rules</b><br />
Rules? Yes, rules! They are very important for playgrounds especially, because every year emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries according to The Centers for Disease Control.<br />
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A few basic playground rules to keep summer fun and injury-free:<br />
<ol>
<li>No pushing or shoving on the playground!</li>
<li>Never go down the slide head first! Always slide down feet first, one kid at a time.</li>
<li>No standing on the swings! Swing sitting down, and wait for the swing to slow down before you get off. </li>
<li>Play at playgrounds with shock-absorbing material. </li>
<li>Wear shoes when you play outside to prevent cuts and other injuries - and don't forget that sunscreen we talked about earlier! </li>
</ol>
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Remember all of these tips, and share them with your kids, and you will be on track for a safe summer! <a href="http://bit.ly/1En6ZIq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>For more safety tips and activity pages for your kids, visit the Shriners Hospitals for Children® website.</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/1En6ZIq" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Summer Safety with Shriners Hospitals for Children in Tampa, Florida" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZy7mWTtMAZqhgq-ldV8hlXOsBClVUDvqyS_n-EVo7qyC5DDiyLb3uBrnYwTy94MQF6qtBBMH61ibC2ZnyZPW-m6f1NnxoZIZ1riQ6PHksjNBe3_HMp5S2bzIHqFWy4HZDvfv/s1600/shfc.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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No matter how careful you are, accidents can happen. While Shriners Hospitals for Children® hopes to help reduce the risks of accidents and prevent injuries this summer, they are available to help if a child gets hurt. Their staff provides expert surgical and rehabilitative care to children with orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injuries, and burns, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. They will even send someone to pick up a child for appointments if the family has transportation issues that prevent them from getting to the hospital.<br />
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<b>What is the most important safety rule you taught your kids? </b><br />
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<i>*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Shriners Hospitals for Children®. All opinions, love of s'mores, and stories about unsafe choices in my teen years are my own. Much thanks to <a href="http://www.photoreflect.com/store/store.aspx?p=237451" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deb Pope Photography</a> for sharing her pictures from the On Track For A Safe Summer event. </i><br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-2885381543065970622015-06-01T22:33:00.002-04:002015-06-01T22:33:57.789-04:00Flash In The Can<i>Because sometimes you need a little flash fiction....</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<h2>
Flash In The Can</h2>
More berries. More veggies. More tomatoes.<br />
<br />
The work never ends.<br />
<br />
She leans over the hot stove, stirring her many pots.<br />
<br />
Canning season they call it. She remembers her grandmother saying that. Although everything she made was going into a jar, and not a can, so that name seemed wrong. But jarring season didn't sound so great, either.<br />
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She was building quite the collection of filled jars. They filled the shelves in the basement nicely.<br />
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There was a time when all these things could be bought in a store. She went to one of those when she was very little, walking hand in hand with her mother down long aisles with tall shelves. Her mouth watered just thinking about the little chocolate cakes they bought that day.<br />
<br />
But it has been many years since a store was a reality. Not since the storms.<br />
<br />
Many things had changed.<br />
<br />
And now it is can or facing starving in the long winter months that will surely come soon.<br />
<br />
She stirs her pots and whispers gratitude that this abandoned farmhouse had so many jars in the basement when she moved in three years ago.<br />
<br />
She is so intent on her work that she doesn't even notice the flash of light reflected in her vegetable stew from the lightning outside, or the smell of rain on its way.<br />
<br />
Storms are brewing.<br />
<br />
<i>.....what do you think happens next? </i><br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-5591605111912202332015-05-18T10:07:00.000-04:002015-05-18T10:07:06.384-04:00I Am... {Old School Blogging}<b>I am </b>transitioning.<br />
<b>I wonder</b> what the next step is.<br />
<b>I hear</b> <a href="http://reneeyohe.com/" target="_blank">Bearcat</a>. Every day.<br />
<b>I see</b> words. Beautiful words. Everywhere.<br />
<b>I want</b> more.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8MN-hq5kj27L4thF0M33lnjYzEUc2jA6Quf5l9-4UuDewdb6_6S1cdqrmFWgpSvsnmle1Ee2Brep_OCbWzjgZOGeS-vkeUVyCx1W7CNCPpD8UHlV6np_IU962yEvIDFPxtTF/s1600/sunset.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sunset " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8MN-hq5kj27L4thF0M33lnjYzEUc2jA6Quf5l9-4UuDewdb6_6S1cdqrmFWgpSvsnmle1Ee2Brep_OCbWzjgZOGeS-vkeUVyCx1W7CNCPpD8UHlV6np_IU962yEvIDFPxtTF/s1600/sunset.jpeg" title="" /></a></div>
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<b>I am</b> alive.<br />
<b>I pretend</b> all the time.<br />
<b>I feel</b> deeply.<br />
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<b>I touch</b> the keyboard all day long.<br />
<b>I worry</b> way too much.<br />
<b>I cry</b> when I'm frustrated, when I'm happy, when it's Tuesday afternoon.<br />
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<b>I am</b> growing.<br />
<b>I understand</b> everything. I understand nothing. I'm sure I fall somewhere in the middle.<br />
<b>I say</b> "I love you." (<i>Even though the autocorrect on my phone ALWAYS tries to change it to "I lube you."</i>)<br />
<b>I dream</b> <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2012/08/lucid-dreaming.html" target="_blank">lucid dreams</a> at night.<br />
<b>I try</b> my best.<br />
<b>I hope</b> for good things to come my way and yours.<br />
<b>I am</b> not alone.<br />
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I Am .... <a href="http://www.misselaineouslife.com/i-am-old-school-blogging/" target="_blank">Old School Blogging</a>.</div>
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-21678231869499517572015-05-17T15:29:00.001-04:002017-11-09T19:54:24.888-05:00Louis C.K.'s SNL Monologue Compares Child Molestation To Eating Candy BarsI know something big happened on tv when I wake up to 58 emails that have Saturday Night Live and child molestation in the subject line. Louis C.K. hosted SNL last night, kicking the show off with a controversial monologue.<br />
<br />
Louis C.K.'s monologue started with the observation that he grew up in the 1970's and that theme carried through each topic on which he touched. He continued with observations of how he has mild racism, progressed into comparing the Middle East to his fighting children, and ended with comments about child molesters and candy bars.....<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>"In the 70's there was a child molester who lived in my home town. And it wasn't a big deal, it wasn't like, 'We caught a child molester!' It was just like, 'Yeah, that's the house where the child molester lives. Hey kids, don't be stupid, or you will get molested. Just stay away from the child molester house. I know because he did something to me when I was your age, so just stay away from the child molester house.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>We really did. We had a town child molester. His name was Jean Baptist. This is a true story. He liked teenaged boys. That was when you would find out, because, I was a teenaged boy. He didn't like me. I felt a little bad.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>He would drive up next to teenaged boys and say, 'Hello would you like to go to McDonalds?'.....I had one friend who used to get in the car. He would be like, 'Sure, I'll go,' and he would get in the car. He would go to McDonalds and eat a burger, and then he'd say, 'See ya!' and just take off. And Jean Baptist was like 'Doh. I did not get to have sex with that child. Foiled again!' but he would always try. 'Maybe this time!'</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Because child molesters are very tenacious people. They love molesting childs. It's like their favorite thing. I mean, it's so crazy, because when you consider the risk in being a child molester (speaking not of even the damage you are doing, but the risk), there is no worse life available to a human than being a caught child molester. And yet they still do it! Which from, you can only really surmise, that it must be really good. I mean, from their point of view. From their, not ours, but from their point of view. It must be </i><b>amazing</b><i> for them to risk so much. (How do you think I feel, this is my last show probably.) </i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Because, look I can't key into it, because I love Mounds bars. I love Mounds bars, it's my favorite thing, right? But there's a limit. I mean, I can't even eat a Mounds bar and do something else at the same time. That's how much I love them. Like, if I'm eating a Mounds bar, I can't even read the paper. I just have to sit there with it in my mouth and go, 'Why is this so good? I love this so much,' because they are delicious. </i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>And yet, if someone said to me, 'If you eat another Mounds bar you will go to jail and everyone will hate you,' I would stop eating them. Because they do taste delicious, but they don't taste as good as a young boy does, and shouldn't, to a child molester. Not to me. Not to us, because we're all awesome."</i></span></blockquote>
There were some loud groans (prompting that aside about this probably being his last show), but many more loud laughs in response to this monologue. You can <a href="http://www.people.com/article/louis-ck-snl-controversy-child-molestation-jokes" target="_blank">see the monologue in it's entirely here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFb36zPU10NMIMMm4IjxIceRdy4AHM0Xg2V8_4YSbhexvrHdPygYF-QBl8UyPV2r5cS8wszppd_27l4SIZx4sevv0NOgO_IRBAiYuIWNakaURD2YxkagJE21kvigFhQmmY-uyZ/s1600/louis-ck-snl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Louis C.K.'s monologue on SNL compared child molestation to eating candy bars." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFb36zPU10NMIMMm4IjxIceRdy4AHM0Xg2V8_4YSbhexvrHdPygYF-QBl8UyPV2r5cS8wszppd_27l4SIZx4sevv0NOgO_IRBAiYuIWNakaURD2YxkagJE21kvigFhQmmY-uyZ/s1600/louis-ck-snl.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<h2>
Child Molestation Is NOT Funny</h2>
First, and most importantly, let me tell you this: Child molestation is not funny, just like <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2011/03/rape-is-not-funny.html" target="_blank">rape is not funny</a>. To remind you of how serious child molestation is, I encourage you to always replace the words "child molestation" with "sexual assault of a child" when you hear or read them. Do not let the less shocking term "molestation" lull you. There are no forms of sexual assault about which you should be making jokes.<br />
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<h2>
What did Louis C.K. Say About Child Sexual Assault On SNL?</h2>
Now let's look closely at what exactly Louis C.K. said last night on SNL.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #666666;">"Yeah, that's the house where the child molester lives. <b>Hey kids, don't be stupid, or you will get molested."</b></span></i></blockquote>
If this was a representation of how things have changed since the 70's, well, they haven't. Not that much. I don't disagree that this victim blaming was rampant then - placing the onus on the child to stay away from the child molester, to not be "stupid" and get sexually assaulted. Not much has changed in 2015. And while we might make a bigger deal about people who sexually assault children now, while there may be stronger sentencing (not strong enough), restrictions on how close a child molester can live to a school, and registry lists, <b>these things have not stopped 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys from being sexually assaulted before the age of 18</b>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #666666;">"Just stay away from the child molester house."</span></i></blockquote>
If only it was this easy. The registry lists we have today provide many people with a false sense of security, creating much the same situation as Louis C.K. describes in his childhood. We can all easily look on the computer, and find exactly which houses contain a convicted child molester. And it is absolutely a parent's responsibility to keep their children away from those houses. But <b>what we can't find on the registry list are the houses that contain a child molester who has not been convicted.</b> And these houses, they are dangerous. They are prevalent. And they are visited by children every day.<br />
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<b>This advice to stay away from "the child molester house" is great - unless that is your home.</b> Your grandparents home. The home where your parents take you for family gatherings. The home of your babysitter. The home of your mom's best friend. The home of your scout leader. The home of the respected neighborhood doctor or lawyer. <b>Not all child molesters are creepy guys riding around in a car trying to lure kids to McDonalds. In fact, that is the profile of very few child molesters </b>in the 1970's or in 2015.<b> </b>Most people who sexually assault children are in a place of trust or power in a child's life. They are, at the least, usually someone the child knows. They very well could be neighbors, but often are the neighbors from whom no adults suspect nefarious behavior.<br />
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<b>Kids aren't stupid. They do not want to be sexually assaulted.</b> And in the real world, when it isn't a joke line designed to show how "even the child molester didn't find poor Louis sexually attractive when he was a teenager - poor teen Louis just couldn't catch a break, would he EVER get laid?" there are no children who are hoping someone will sexually asault them. <b>There are children whose reality is being sexually assaulted every day, often by the very people who should be protecting them.</b><br />
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As for the kid who foiled the child molester, time and time again? That story just serves to further the mindset that children are responsible for the behavior of predators. Louis' friend was able to get all those free Big Macs without being molested. He probably even got a side of fries and a milkshake. Those other kids just weren't as smart at playing the game. Stupid molested kids. They were basically asking for it.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Molesting A Child Isn't Comparable To Eating A Candy Bar</h2>
Let's move on to the Mounds bar comparison. I've listened to the monologue several times, and I still don't have a clear understanding of what I am supposed to take away from this section. Should I feel sorry for these child molesters who are so very addicted to young boys that they just can't stop sexually assaulting them? Should I now understand a child molester's drive to continue sexually assaulting children? <b>Should I step back and wonder how something that just feels so good could really be wrong? </b><br />
<br />
If Louis C.K. wants to approach child sexual assault as an addiction, he will get no amens from me. While, yes, addiction can have far reaching consequences, and other people may be hurt by the addict and his actions, <b>sexual assault is a crime that always hurts another human being</b>. Period. There is no true comparison that can be made between addicts and child molesters.<br />
<br />
<b>I have no minutes of my life that are worth wasting on wondering how amazing the experience of raping a child must be, so I can finally understand why child molesters commit their crimes.</b><br />
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The same is true for rapists who sexually assault adults. Or serial killers who take great joy in not only murdering their victims, but also enjoy keeping their bodies close, or even eating them. Maybe dead humans taste really great like a Mounds bar. Hey, Louis C.K., shall we have a conversation about the taste of dead human flesh? Maybe we can help everyone understand it a little better, so we can further normalize murder and cannibalism the way society and <a href="http://www.thenewagenda.net/2014/03/29/rape-culture-is-not-hysteria/" target="_blank">the prevalent rape culture</a> continually strive to normalize rape and child sexual assault and abuse?<br />
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<h2>
Child Molesters Are Tenacious And Manipulative</h2>
Louis C.K. was right about one thing: child molesters are tenacious. Most child molesters groom their victims, often working slowly over a period of months or even years to set up the situation perfectly. They thrive on making children feel like it is their fault, and teaching the child that <i>the child</i> will be in trouble if anyone finds out what happened. <b>When a child believes the molestation, the abuse, the sexual assault, is their fault, they will not tell anyone it is happening. </b><br />
<br />
<i>THIS</i> is why it matters that his monologue played up the idea that only stupid children get molested with the narrative children should just stay away from the child molester house unless they are smart enough to beat him at this own game and get a free burger.<br />
<br />
The only thing he accomplished with this monologue is spreading the same, tired, rape apology, and reminding child sexual assault survivors that they deserved the abuse and rape because they were just too stupid to avoid it.<br />
<br />
One last thing. Louis C.K. said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>"they </i>[Mounds Bars]<i> don't taste as good as a young boy does, and shouldn't, to a child molester. Not to me. Not to us, because we're all awesome."</i></span></blockquote>
Are we all awesome? The entire SNL audience? No. We are not, Louis C.K.<br />
<br />
When you make jokes, rationalizations, and otherwise irresponsible comments about child molestation, or any form of sexual assault, you are not speaking to audiences who are all awesome. There are child molesters and rapists listening to your words. And even as you say young boys shouldn't taste good, you are being dismissive about what child molestation really is. Being a child molester is much worse than just not being awesome.<br />
<br />
In this monologue, Louis C.K. set aside the very real damage to the victims and survivors of sexual assault. When <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2014/11/television-interview-lena-dunham.html" target="_blank">you normalize child sexual assault</a> and the predators who commit these crimes, you <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2011/12/rape-it-still-isnt-funny.html" target="_blank">reinforce the believes of rapists</a> that there is normalcy in their actions. Nothing about this monologue challenged rapists, child molesters, or rape culture. It was not a smart commentary on a difficult subject. It was just another joke about rape that wasn't funny.<br />
<br />
<b>Remember that this monologue was prepared in advance.</b> Louis C.K. had time to think about what he was going to say, and most likely said it in front of other people during rehearsals. Since he specifically spoke about the rape of young boys in this SNL monologue, we can set aside the (incorrect) common belief that rape is just a women's issue. Unlike <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/4per11/louis-c-k-" target="_blank">what Louis C.K. said</a> in the wake of the <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2012/07/daniel-tosh-still-making-rape-jokes.html" target="_blank">Daniel Tosh rape joke situation</a>, calling out inappropriate jokes about sexual assault (about the rape of an adult or a child) is not just women saying "This is how I feel and my feelings should be everyone's primary concern." And the conversation we have about his monologue does not have to place men and women on different sides, because jokes about sexual assault are everyone's concern. They send a seriously dangerous message out to the world, harming both women and men, boys and girls.<br />
<br />
Rape is not funny. The end.<br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-65491675966967047682015-05-12T22:19:00.003-04:002015-05-12T22:19:40.704-04:00This Is Why I Should Do All My Shopping Online I've had issues with escalators ever since I was six years old and saw a little boy get stuck on one. It zoomed up up up as he screamed. I know escalators don't actually zoom, but they seem much faster when a three year old is caught and heading towards the top where it will suck him in.<br />
<br />
The manager was finally able to turn it off just as his sleeve was turning the curve at the top of the second floor. He barely escaped being sucked in. Those are the kind of screams you never forget.<br />
<br />
So. Escalators. They make me really nervous. I carefully avoided telling that story in front of Katarina when she was little, and I made myself ride on them so she wouldn't pick up my fear, but my feelings about escalators never really lessened.<br />
<br />
I still feel nervous every time I step on one.<br />
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We went to the mall to look for a dress for Katarina to wear to a wedding. My mom and Lee had both sent links to cute dresses online, but I was determined to go to a store so she could try on dresses. How do you buy clothes without trying them on first?<br />
<br />
At JC Penney, the escalator was broken. It's been broken the last few times we've been there, with yellow tape and construction signs all around. Seeing the inside of the escalator doesn't make me any less nervous about it.<br />
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I didn't really mind walking to the far off corner to use the elevator. Up and back down we went. They didn't have the right dress.<br />
<br />
Next stop was Sears. Their escalator appeared to be broken. It wasn't moving, and everyone was just walking up it like normal stairs. I didn't love that idea, but at least it wasn't going to suck me in if it wasn't moving, right? Katarina skipped right up to the first step. Apparently it is an adventure to walk up an escalator.<br />
<br />
We walked up, and then back down. The perfect dress was not to be found.<br />
<br />
We made our way toward the Old Navy. Our Old Navy has a very steep escalator right in the middle of the store, and, of course, the kids section is upstairs. As we approached the escalator, I noticed two employees standing by the entrance talking.<br />
<br />"Excuse me," I said, preparing to squeeze by so I could get to the escalator, and then I realized it wasn't moving. Another broken escalator, I thought, taking a deep breath and preparing to step on the first step.<br />
<br />
"Oh, you don't want to use the escalator. That's why we are standing here. See that guy up there? He's working on it - it could start moving at any second, and you could get hurt."<br />
<br />
I looked up and saw a man pulling a panel off, and making adjustments.<br />
<br />
"You can use the elevator. It's in the back."<br />
<br />
I breathed a sigh of relief as we headed to the dark corner in the back of the store.<br />
<br />
It only took a second after we pushed the button for the oversized doors to open. We stepped into the elevator. I ignored the grinding sound the elevator had made, and Katarina pressed the number 2.<br />
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As soon as the door closed, a voice spoke over the elevator speaker. "All clear? Is the elevator clear?"<br />
<br />
"No!" I called out, looking wildly around to figure out where the speaker was to see if I needed to push a button so the voice would hear me, "It isn't clear! We are riding in it right now! There are people in this elevator!"<br />
<br />
"Damn. Let me know when you reach the second floor, and then get out immediately when the doors open."<br />
<br />
I've never left an elevator so fast in my life.<br />
<br />
We looked at dresses. Used the water fountain. Looked at cute baby clothes. Walked around upstairs much longer than necessary. Stopped by the water fountain a second time. Finally I had to face it. There was nothing more to do in the Old Navy. Unless I was planning on camping out, we would need to go back down to the first floor.<br />
<br />
I wasn't stepping foot back in that elevator, and neither was Katarina, so we headed toward the escalator. She assured me that the down escalator had been working earlier.<br />
<br />
I stared at my foe. It was moving. Then I heard the workman call down the escalator on the up side, asking one of the employees standing below if they would like to test it out. Neither of them seemed very excited.<br />
<br />
"Come on, Mom, we still need to find a dress." Katarina said, taking my had and leading me closer to the escalator. I looked at the short glass wall surrounding the escalator opening, and quickly calculated just how dangerous it would be to tie a bunch of baby clothes together to make a rope and climb down to the ground floor. My chances of surviving seemed dubious - but not much more so than my chances with the escalator.<br />
<br />
I took a deep breath and put my foot onto that moving, rubber step.<br />
<br />
We made it to the bottom, and left the mall.<br />
<br />
We went straight home. Sitting safely on the ground floor, without any bloodthirsty escalators or scary disembodied elevator voices to stop us, we bought a dress online.<br />
<br />
It arrived three days later, and the mail carrier didn't even try to kill me when he handed me the package.<br />
<br />
I'll be doing all of my shopping online from now on. Leaving the house is overrated. <br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-66213564322293755712015-05-01T00:31:00.000-04:002015-05-01T08:19:02.985-04:00This Is Not The End Of Me - Ten Years Of Blogging Today marks a milestone. I have officially blogged for 10 years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdLUYwluMI-t1CBWkSPZ1Nuxa_LoBn12quhOkIfRhoeC6lPG_gtwUyug_kXVO8Tva2TjI2JJ2qexIsBFvr0v3wyPG3kBKaBOBkJ4uQFPBNHi7O8j2JHknUqkXq48zfKuFtm3C/s1600/ten-years-blogging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="I've been blogging for ten years. See why I started, and why I continue writing about my life online." border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdLUYwluMI-t1CBWkSPZ1Nuxa_LoBn12quhOkIfRhoeC6lPG_gtwUyug_kXVO8Tva2TjI2JJ2qexIsBFvr0v3wyPG3kBKaBOBkJ4uQFPBNHi7O8j2JHknUqkXq48zfKuFtm3C/s1600/ten-years-blogging.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
That is a lot of blog posts. A lot of personal stories out there for the world to read, and a lot of silliness, too. A lot of growing and changing. A lot of late nights and early mornings spent writing in dark rooms.<br />
<br />
It seems as though many people have stepped away from blogging this year. That is true every year, every day, really, but this seems bigger because the bloggers are of a higher profile, and they are posting official goodbyes and explanations. Most bloggers just slowly fade away as life changes and their words stop flowing out to the world. Some of them move on to other things. Others stick with sharing family pictures on Facebook and an occasional status update aimed at old blogging friends to reminisce over the days of writing prompts, comment groups, and NaBloPoMo's. Some former bloggers are writing novels and memoirs, and choosing not to write for free, even in spaces they own. There is validity in all of these choices, and I understand each one. <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2014/05/the-early-days-of-blogging-and-how-it.html" target="_blank">Blogging has changed a lot in the last decade</a>.<br />
<br />
A friend asked me what I had planned for my blogging anniversary. It seems like there should be a seriously big marker for ten years, but I didn't have an answer for her. I didn't have a plan. That is often the story of my life, for better or worse.<br />
<br />
When I started writing online, I didn't have a plan, either. It was long before the days of monetized blogging. I was looking for a space to say out loud that I had <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2010/05/4pm-tracies-story.html" target="_blank">survived childhood sexual abuse</a> while sitting safely behind the veil of anonymity. I didn't know where those words would lead. I didn't even know that I would love writing or that one day blogging would pay the rent and buy groceries - I just knew that I needed to learn how to say the truth and work through the pain if I was ever going to become a whole person.<br />
<br />
Eventually I dropped the veil of anonymity. I shared my full name on this site and sent the link to everyone I knew. I even made it Facebook official by linking <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fromtracie" target="_blank">my blog page</a> to my personal profile. My writing developed, and I shared more and more of my life with the world, while setting serious boundaries for what I would not share. I let go of so much anger and received much healing.<br />
<br />
Over the last ten years I have written for other sites, met bloggers in person, learned about SEO, received thousands of emails and messages from readers, been interviewed on tv, embraced social media, worked with a non-profit, agonized over no's and celebrated yes's, stayed up late reading blog posts, learned not to double space after a period, shared pictures of yellow things, worked full time for a blogging network, met people who will always hold pieces of my heart, and grown in more ways than I ever could have imagined <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2005/05/dreaded-first-post.html" target="_blank">when I published my first blog post on May 1, 2005</a>.<br />
<br />
Writing has saved my life. I don't know how to explain it any better than that. I would not be who, or where, I am today without this space and <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2014/06/social-media-makes-me-stronger-and-less.html" target="_blank">the blogging community</a> who took me in. I am here today because of each of you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzLDbW3zYmeL1VtRM5XBxrsA-UL5qLIFOadlWOJewuYCa32z2Tf1_7woWq9JGsVrk08FKc6bSe1hSHXhNolpgHo0_yjs9brdx3LmrFDT6XcYz-6tVrqXxBTLO91AnRD1Bn5AE/s1600/blogging-community.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Writing saved my life." border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPzLDbW3zYmeL1VtRM5XBxrsA-UL5qLIFOadlWOJewuYCa32z2Tf1_7woWq9JGsVrk08FKc6bSe1hSHXhNolpgHo0_yjs9brdx3LmrFDT6XcYz-6tVrqXxBTLO91AnRD1Bn5AE/s1600/blogging-community.png" width="550" /></a></div>
<br />
So on this day, my 10th anniversary of blogging, I only want to say thank you. Thank you for reading my words. For laughing and crying with me. For having my back and holding my hand.<br />
<br />
I found my voice because of blogging. It was amplified because you have read and shared my writing. From the serious posts to the silly, you've given minutes and hours of your life to read my words, and that is a precious gift.<br />
<br />
Thank you from every corner of my heart.<br />
<br />
Here's to 10 more years and more shared stories.<br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-6279941141262821212015-04-30T07:51:00.000-04:002015-04-30T07:51:10.419-04:00Lose The CapeI've never really felt like Supermom.<br />
<br />
SuperHarriedMom? Yes.<br />
<br />
SuperTiredMom? For sure.<br />
<br />
SuperOverwhelmedMom? Much too often, yes.<br />
<br />
I want to say that I'm a "do the best you can and most things will work out" kind of mom, all laid back and relaxed.....but I'm totally staying up late at night with anxious thoughts about all the things that didn't get checked off of my list that day.<br />
<br />
So a book called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lose-Cape-Realities-Strategies-Survive-ebook/dp/B00UWCLY9M" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lose The Cape: Realities from Busy Modern Moms and Strategies to Survive</a></i> was something I couldn't pass up reading. Even if I never felt like I had a Supermom cape to begin with. Plus it was written by two amazing bloggers, <a href="http://katbiggie.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alexa Bigwarfe</a> and <a href="http://breadwinningmama.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kerry Rivera</a>, and I love it when bloggers get published!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lose-Cape-Realities-Strategies-Survive-ebook/dp/B00UWCLY9M" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Lose The Cape book cover" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRGXBURM2THgppYvQivAQquwI1-Dw3SGULwaIQ7Hld_d52zevot-O4bP5f1dFr06lDxYHY6mrJTChZgyiyjUGV97bHPFyc9WuxAFNhkYac8zJf7aLhPBZEDRkiLCrGRvpf36E/s1600/lose-the-cape-book-cover.jpg" height="640" width="429" /></a></div>
<h3>
Lose The Cape</h3>
<br />
So here's the lowdown. Cape or not, even if you are too busy to figure out if Supermom should be written as one word or two (Supermom? Super Mom? SuperMom?), if you are a mom, or are thinking about becoming a mom one day, you need to read <i>Lose The Cape</i>.<br />
<br />
It is like sitting down with two supportive friends who are willing to give you all of their nonjudgemental advice and encouragement. Every chapter is full of real and actionable tips to help you get organized, develop a system, make (reasonable) plans, and generally rock this motherhood thing YOUR way. Because that is a big theme of this book - realizing that every tip and every idea will not work for every mom. Once you accept that, it becomes easy to focus on the tips that ARE a good fit and actually do something with them.<br />
<br />
<b>You can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lose-Cape-Realities-Strategies-Survive-ebook/dp/B00UWCLY9M" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">order Lose The Cape from Amazon now</a>.</b> And don't forget to check out the <a href="http://losethecape.com/blog/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lose The Cape blog</a> and podcast, too. It is a great place to find other moms and see how other moms are making life work (or submit your own stories - they love guest posts).<br />
<br />
<b>In the spirit of Lose The Cape, share one of your best parenting or life tips in the comments!</b><br />
<br />
<i>*Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of Lose The Cape. I was not required to say nice things about the book, stalk the writer's blogs, or stay up way too late reading and making notes about tackling household chores.</i>Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-41835439256033912202015-04-20T00:05:00.000-04:002015-04-20T00:05:20.508-04:00How to Cure Cracked Heels FAST (Plus A Giveaway!)I'm going to be a bridesmaid in a vow renewal this summer. Suddenly I'm thinking about hairstyles (going for a braid) and makeup (I need to buy some) and spray tan (skipping this entirely) and all sorts of beauty things to which I don't always pay attention. So when I got an email about a new beauty exfoliator, I actually payed attention to it. I'm super excited to try it out and to tell you about it. <br />
<br />
Spring has (finally!) sprung, and I’m teaming up with <a href="http://www.theinventionbrothers.com/" target="_blank">The Invention Brothers</a> to give you a chance to win a fabulous new beauty exfoliator called <a href="http://skoother.com/" target="_blank">The Skoother® Skin Smoother</a>, as well as an iPad Mini!<br />
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://www.cloudywithachanceofwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Giveaway-3.jpg"><img alt="If you suffer from dry, cracked heels, the 'Get Ready for Summer Giveaway' is for you! Enter today for your chance to win an iPad Mini, a Skoother Skin Smoother to help cure your cracked heels, or a Margarator giant party blender. With 25 prizes to be won, you don't want to miss out!" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13972" src="http://www.cloudywithachanceofwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Giveaway-3.jpg" height="872" width="560" /></a></center>
<br />
Have you heard of the Skoother?<br />
<br />
It’s the most effective way to quickly and easily smooth rough skin and calluses on your feet, heels, elbows and hands, and it’s unique design makes it much more effective than pumice stones, emery pads, metal graters (ouch!), motorized sanders, and other skin-smoothing gimmicks.<br />
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://www.cloudywithachanceofwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Skoother-Image.jpg"><img alt="If you suffer from dry, cracked heels, the 'Get Ready for Summer Giveaway' is for you! Enter today for your chance to win an iPad Mini, a Skoother Skin Smoother to help cure your cracked heels, or a Margarator giant party blender. With 25 prizes to be won, you don't want to miss out!" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13973" src="http://www.cloudywithachanceofwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Skoother-Image.jpg" height="392" width="560" /></a></center>
<br />
It’s easy to hold.<br />
<br />
It conforms to your body, making it quick and easy to use.<br />
<br />
It doesn’t require batteries.<br />
<br />
The Micro-Abrasive Screen is rough enough to remove stubborn calluses on your heels, but gentle enough also lightly smooth the skin on more delicate areas like your hands and knees.<br />
<br />
It has been medically-tested by a team of doctors at the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor.<br />
<br />
It’s easy to clean.<br />
<br />
And by entering the Rafflecopter form below, you will have a chance to win one (1) of 20 Skoothers to get your skin ready for summer.<br />
<br />
But wait - it gets better!<br />
<br />
We're also giving away 4 <a href="http://www.theinventionbrothers.com/margarator.html" target="_blank">Margarators®</a> (1 Gallon Party Blender) and one (1) grand prize of an iPad Mini!<br />
<br />
What a great way to kick off the warm weather!<br />
<br />
All you have to do is complete the form below to enter between April 20, 2015 at 12:00 am EST and April 30, 2015 at 11:59 pm EST.<br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="77479b1d7" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/77479b1d7/" id="rcwidget_dnnqxekd" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
<br />
And if you don't win but would still like to be one of the first to experience the Skoother, simply sign up using <a href="http://www.skoother.com/contact-us.html" target="_blank">THIS FORM</a> between May 1, 2015 and June 14, 2015. The Launch Day Special for a Skoother is only $12 + free shipping. We will contact you through your email sign-up to give you more details!<br />
<br />
Good luck!<br />
<br />
For complete contest rules and regulations, <a href="http://www.skoother.com/giveaway1.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<em>From Tracie received no compensation for sponsoring this event, and is not responsible for the delivery of the prize. Prize delivery is the sole responsibility of The Invention Brothers / Comstock Studios Inc. Twenty-five (25) winners will be drawn randomly and notified by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond in order to claim their prize. If they do not respond within the 48 hours, they will forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be chosen. This post may contain affiliate links.</em>Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-37189669182924867172015-03-16T23:45:00.001-04:002015-03-16T23:45:40.382-04:00These Definitions No Longer Fit MeI was fourteen when capri pants came back into style. I wasn't a fan. A friend and I stood in the mall one day and decided together that people needed to make a real decision: pants or shorts. No more of this indecisive, in the middle, nonsense. And we agreed not to give in to the capri craze. In that moment I defined myself as a person who didn't wear capris. Not a major definition, of course. Not something I thought about daily, or to which I gave too much weight. But I continued not buying capris.<br />
<br />
A few years later, my friend arrived at church in a pair of (admittedly cute) capri pants. My mind immediately went to that day we stood in the Gap and agreed to not give in to indecisive clothing. It hurt just a little. The change. The moving on.<br />
<br />
Of course I understand that there is nothing wrong with changing your mind or buying a cute pair of capris. I understood it then. It wasn't a betrayal. A lot of things change in the years between fourteen and seventeen. This is probably one of the smallest changes a teenager could make.<br />
<br />
My feelings were very little about her and even less about a pair of pants. What this experience really spoke to was my strong memory and my tendency to hold on to small things. Moments. Inside jokes. Bonds.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***************</div>
<br />
There is a lot of advice out there to not let other people define you. To see your own self. To chart your course without listening to people who would limit you to a safe and boring shoreline.<br />
<br />
But what do you do when the person writing the definition is you?<br />
<br />
I have defined myself in big and small ways.<br />
<br />
Some of those definitions have served me well, others have not. Sure, they were fine for a time, but I held them close, writing them over and over again like a school assignment, long after they should have been erased. Writing them in ink and type and blood. And when those definitions itched and burned, when they hurt so bad I could scream, I cooled them with my tears. But I did not let go. They were a part of me.<br />
<br />
How do you let go of something that is from you and of you? Or even worse, how do you show up one day in a pair of cute capris without apology or explanation - even if just to youself? I did not know. Not for many years, and not really now.<br />
<br />
What I do know now is that I'm tired of the itch, the burn, the pain. I'm tired of the definitions that no longer fit, and I am ready to make new decisions. I am ready to find out what is hidden.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***************</div>
<br />
Katarina and I just finished watching The Wonder Years. I hadn't seen all of the episodes in many years, and it was her first time watching it. It is the kind of show that feels different in different stages of life. In the last two episodes, Kevin wants to find himself. He keeps saying it over and over again. Sending Winnie away for the summer, then wanting nothing more than to be with her, and as he packs his bag to leave home after a fight with his dad, this is the explanation he gives to his mother, "I gotta be on my own. I gotta find myself."<br />
<br />"I know, but you can find yourself here. People don't realize it, but there's lots of places you can find yourself. I mean, you can go into a restaurant, lost...not knowing what you're doing. And all of a sudden...you can find yourself. It can happen anywhere," she replies.<br />
<br />
I've been thinking about it for days now, that restaurant. Being lost, but not really knowing why or how. The struggle against definitions that fit too tightly and words that chafe. I think of what it means to let go of these things and to introduce the world and myself to the person who remains. I think that the problem isn't finding myself. The problem is not allowing myself to be free.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
***************</div>
<br />
What do you do when the definitions you, or someone else, have placed upon you no longer fit?<br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-17588088771425523852015-03-09T23:18:00.000-04:002015-03-09T23:18:00.042-04:00Every Day Lasts ForeverWhen I look back at my teen years, every memory is marked by one thing - the feeling that that day was forever. Years that didn't go fast or slow, because a year is a year no matter how you measure it, were made up of eternal days.<br />
<br />
I wrote through those days. Not all the important things, but things. Words. Thoughts.<br />
<br />
Every moment was huge. It was <i>the</i> moment.<br />
<br />
Slowing down and waiting something out didn't seem like an option.<br />
<br />
I'm well past those years now, but sometimes those eternal days still show up.<br />
<br />
Sunday was one of those days. A long car ride with music and stories and laughing about sheep. Dreaming of different places to live and words to be written. Each leaf of every tree hit by the light from the slowly melting sun was a poem. <br />
<br />
I think I could have stayed in that car forever. Or maybe I did stay there.<br />
<br />
The road calls to me with no destination in mind, and each time I answer that call it is harder and harder to turn back toward home.<br />
<br />
One day forever might not end.<br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-56179913913622672902015-03-04T11:07:00.000-05:002015-03-21T00:00:01.168-04:00World Read Aloud Day 2015 (+A Great Giveaway From Staples!)It is no secret that I love books, and Katarina does, too. We’ve been reading together since she was born. In those early years, I did all of the reading, but once she was old enough to start sounding out her first words, she wanted her turn. Katarina doesn’t need me to read to her, not the way she did when she was two and three years old, brining me a stack of her favorite books. She can (<i>and does - most of the day</i>) read to herself. But there is still something special about reading a book together. Cuddling close, sharing a story, and taking turns reading chapters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORnITl0isl7VuvdGWcFdEsRoTYTqQzHLKsxQ63EZtk33iB9CSALQ52Od40l0rTiWgGiGZhPGEcWlG0yYfoUuoGODKBtqmnOrs0BUbvc_lN1BXaL6e-M7Cg5UMPidyF6uu8Xue/s1600/Reading-The-Hobbit-WRAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Reading The Hobbit On World Read Aloud Day" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORnITl0isl7VuvdGWcFdEsRoTYTqQzHLKsxQ63EZtk33iB9CSALQ52Od40l0rTiWgGiGZhPGEcWlG0yYfoUuoGODKBtqmnOrs0BUbvc_lN1BXaL6e-M7Cg5UMPidyF6uu8Xue/s1600/Reading-The-Hobbit-WRAD.jpg" height="550" width="550" /></a></div>
<br />
Whether it is a book I remember fondly from my childhood, or a new book that she wants to share with me because it was SO good, I love that we can pass our books back and forth and talk about the stories we love.<br />
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<h2>
World Read Aloud Day 2015</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNiBaxcKF57iNCraDbVZMt1GH4ELAPQwFGMcIx8Su0DErWABroLZtwZkOUWPqE4P_HnOhEGRkUUIVipmL6hikCGe2t53RR4XrlFOzBmZbHQSjdS2esJDbq___9Sc4PnmJuBuW/s1600/litworldWRAD15logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="World Read Aloud Day 2015 Logo" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNiBaxcKF57iNCraDbVZMt1GH4ELAPQwFGMcIx8Su0DErWABroLZtwZkOUWPqE4P_HnOhEGRkUUIVipmL6hikCGe2t53RR4XrlFOzBmZbHQSjdS2esJDbq___9Sc4PnmJuBuW/s1600/litworldWRAD15logo.jpg" height="550" width="550" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Today is World Read Aloud Day.</b> Pretty much the best holiday for a lover of books. But it is about more than just books. WRAD was created by <a href="http://www.litworld.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LitWorld</a>, to motivate people of all ages worldwide to celebrate the power of words and create a community of readers taking action to show the world that the right to literacy belongs to all people.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="color: #666666;">By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their futures: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their stories.</span></i></blockquote>
<br />
Yes! That is my heart right there.<br />
<br />
So when <a href="http://www.staples.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Staples</a> asked me if I was going to participate in World Read Aloud Day, I couldn't say yes fast enough. They sent a World Read Aloud Day prize pack with books and craft supplies so we could read and create art about the story. It is basically the best week ever when both books and office supplies arrive in the mail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7S9XQZ6TzWIPlasMIycgp1Wd0Pf51aYhDLGfzxrjrhXeLfoyRAsWS6D-oUmdjIBY8LAOu-BfRNt26tHDiM3GHNzpmMADu8kfOFEXrfcyN-8yUQ8qgeziRUqckQdIIJJiEPye/s1600/WRAD-pack+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7S9XQZ6TzWIPlasMIycgp1Wd0Pf51aYhDLGfzxrjrhXeLfoyRAsWS6D-oUmdjIBY8LAOu-BfRNt26tHDiM3GHNzpmMADu8kfOFEXrfcyN-8yUQ8qgeziRUqckQdIIJJiEPye/s1600/WRAD-pack+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Just look at those HUGE drawing pads! They are almost as tall as Katarina.<br />
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As I took my turn reading, Katarina got creative. And then I had to pause for a few minutes and add a little tree of my own, because there are few things better than being the first person to color with a brand new crayon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxShhbK560ie9c3VbErFDpMvaHc35C2KKtvmxUJy_WqZx-TlTWE9NzZLxUrieC3ML5_JdaX6GUSvUjrcx5NFDIS3pyE2KyPUNwNzPcfoTJf-4eLD3OYVhI6VMDUaKrTHR9I1iF/s1600/hobbit-house-drawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Drawing A Hobbit House" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxShhbK560ie9c3VbErFDpMvaHc35C2KKtvmxUJy_WqZx-TlTWE9NzZLxUrieC3ML5_JdaX6GUSvUjrcx5NFDIS3pyE2KyPUNwNzPcfoTJf-4eLD3OYVhI6VMDUaKrTHR9I1iF/s1600/hobbit-house-drawing.jpg" height="411" width="550" /></a></div>
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I looked up from the book, and Bilbo's house was taking shape. And before I knew it, there was a path leading to the mountains and adventure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdLAllZw_bYQTePkdZfPMAb_9iFQ5QqMSRiiH9LF3Ld_57V3mD5kSQTvW-bn0Z-aQtT9-sheUEFOIKRA3X_JflbzR9jcxY_RRYVwZYeEUKmn8dLGHOBi9LW8JPDVn17E0-k2C/s1600/hobbit-house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Katarina with Bilbo's House" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdLAllZw_bYQTePkdZfPMAb_9iFQ5QqMSRiiH9LF3Ld_57V3mD5kSQTvW-bn0Z-aQtT9-sheUEFOIKRA3X_JflbzR9jcxY_RRYVwZYeEUKmn8dLGHOBi9LW8JPDVn17E0-k2C/s1600/hobbit-house.jpg" height="352" width="550" /></a></div>
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We have plans for later today to use the construction paper to create a little Bilbo and Galdalf and maybe even a few dwarves to add to the picture. We might even keep going, and draw more scenes from the story later this week....because it is FUN!<br />
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Making your own story illustrations, and representing the things that mean the most to you in the story, is a great way to open up a discussion.<br />
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<h3>
Enter To Win A World Read Aloud Day Prize Pack</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRqRhHLtQOuIcoWu-HV5ricVDyvvHLPNcVru2duyMJdTB5bTCO1Pn0fId_TN8nMBZfo7D5x38ii9KRR8luwvItIK0ryKD_hZvks7fdRoHwwJgP1LiCaAtxXFEYGM4aLxHjuWU/s1600/WRAD-pack-books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="World Read Aloud Day Prize Pack" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRqRhHLtQOuIcoWu-HV5ricVDyvvHLPNcVru2duyMJdTB5bTCO1Pn0fId_TN8nMBZfo7D5x38ii9KRR8luwvItIK0ryKD_hZvks7fdRoHwwJgP1LiCaAtxXFEYGM4aLxHjuWU/s1600/WRAD-pack-books.png" height="413" width="550" /></a></div>
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<b>Would you like to add a little bookish fun to your day?</b> One of my readers is going to win a WRAD prize pack from Staples (<i>ARV $50 minimum</i>) with craft supplies and books. You might not get the exact same craft supplies I did, but whatever you get will be awesome. Plus, they will send books that are perfect for your child's reading level and interest.<br />
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It was fun to see what they picked out for Katarina when her box arrived: <i>The Hobbit</i>, <i>Because of Winn Dixie</i>, <i>Bridge To Terabithia</i>, and <i>Number The Stars</i>. All great picks!<br />
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<b>To enter, leave a comment below telling me the name of your favorite book, or something you love about reading aloud with your kids.</b><br />
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Giveaway ends on <b>March 20, 2015 at 11:59 PM EST</b>. Open to US only. Winners will be chosen by random.org and contacted by email. Please respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.<br />
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<i>*This giveaway is sponsored by Staples. I was provided with a WRAD prize pack. I was not required to say nice things or dance around singing when boxes of office supplies and books arrived at my door.</i>Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-60864267593552913672015-02-25T23:29:00.001-05:002015-02-26T07:27:19.759-05:00How To Make Homeschool Work For Your FamilyThere has been a lot of change in our lives this year, the biggest being, I'm working full time now. I work from home, but it is still full time. One of the first questions I get when talking about my job with people is, "Did you put Katarina in school?"quickly followed by, "But how does that work?" when I assure them we are still homeschooling.<br />
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<b>A big part of homeschooling in our family has always been the ability to be flexible with our schedule and make school work for us.</b> It isn't unusual for Katarina to do more than one day's worth of work at a time to "earn" a Friday off of school. We don't take winter break, President's Day, or many other days that schools shut down for holidays, but we do take a break for most of December. As my work hours increased, we had a little trial and error to figure out what worked best.<br />
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For us, mornings are the best time for school, but not first thing. I start my work day early, while the rest of my family is still sleeping. When Katarina wakes up, she has about an hour and a half to relax before her day officially stars. During this time we eat breakfast, have a morning walk, and Katarina usually reads or works on one of her computer programing projects. Then it is time for school to start. I take a break from work and do some teaching, and then as I go back to work, she finishes up the rest of her school day's writing and reading assignments. I step in when she has any questions, and look over her finished work as the day progresses.<br />
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In the last few weeks, one of Katarina's favorite subjects, Pre-Algebra, hit a difficult patch. While simplifying radicals was, well, simple, dividing with radicals proved to be a little harder. I felt the pressure of trying to juggle work, life, and homeschool while trying to remember how to use math I haven't thought about since I was 14. And trying to do that during those morning hours wasn't working well for either of us.<br />
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<b>So we made a new decision.</b><br />
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We started saving Pre-Algebra not just for the end of the school day, but for the end of the day entirely. After dinner we have been sitting down with our math problems, pencils, paper, and Khan Academy, and conquering radicals. And it is working. Katarina doesn't feel the pressure of the rest of her school day hanging over her while she calculates, and is sailing through her work without either of us melting down. And we still have time for a couple of episodes of The Wonder Years before bedtime.<br />
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For now, we are keeping this new math in the evening schedule. It might change later in the year, but we both like the way this is working. That is the key to homeschool - not just viewing it as an opportunity to be flexible with your schedule in regards to vacation days, but also an opportunity to be flexible with everything, and mold school to fit your child's needs.<br />
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I'm very blessed that I'm working at home, so I don't have to go into an office each day. It also helps that Katarina is eleven years old, and I'm not needed for every second of her school day the way I was when she was younger.<br />
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<b>As our lives and needs change, homeschool is changing with us.</b> That doesn't mean we might not make the decision to try something different next year. We have the "what about public school" conversation each summer. I'm not against the idea of traditional school, and I don't believe homeschool is the answer for everyone, but for now, homeschool is our best answer. And even though our schedule might not be a good fit for your family, it has been great for us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrU8ifdpmicQcoxRf2UaILUGyPcNzra6Kw3ObOq7B0kEGCilk09lkdJnF3MdhqdP-PVklug8Wn03JnaAfizzABQZMHUZDOXBu0ETUP4sQXOYo_Za8kMX8p03jrDLwHQgWXwGO2/s1600/make-homeschool-work.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Learn how to make homeschool work for your family." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrU8ifdpmicQcoxRf2UaILUGyPcNzra6Kw3ObOq7B0kEGCilk09lkdJnF3MdhqdP-PVklug8Wn03JnaAfizzABQZMHUZDOXBu0ETUP4sQXOYo_Za8kMX8p03jrDLwHQgWXwGO2/s1600/make-homeschool-work.png" height="367" width="550" /></a></div>
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<h2>
How To Make Homeschool Work For Your Family</h2>
<b>1. Learn which hours are best for your child.</b> Are early mornings the best time for focusing, or do you find that afternoons work best? Does your child need some down time before school starts or part way through the day? Don't feel like you have to keep the same hours that your local school is keeping. Try different times to see what works best for you.<br />
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<b>2. Don't be afraid to make curriculum changes.</b> This is true for your curriculum as a whole - you might find that the fancy curriculum package you bought just isn't working - but it is also true for smaller things like taking a few days to focus on something or do extra study if your child is really interested, or swapping out a book for something that you think your child will enjoy more.<br />
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<b>3. Take advantage of all the resources available for homeschoolers.</b> From your local library and free educational websites like Khan Academy (<i>have I mentioned how much we love Khan?</i>) to co-ops and local homeschool associations, you don't have to do this thing alone. You also don't have to spend a lot of money to homeschool.<br />
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<b>4. Ask for help.</b> You might be the primary teacher in your child's life, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything. If your spouse is a science whiz, there is no reason for you and your child to struggle with something you aren't gifted at if it could be put off until later in the day when Professor Labcoat gets home from work. Or maybe it isn't an all the time issue, but you find yourself having a particularly difficult week. Call in favors, invite the grandparents over, tell your spouse you need extra help, or just take the week off to read and watch educational videos. We always build in extra time for off-days in our year for just these times, so if one of us needs a break, we don't have to stress over falling behind. If you need help, you have to ask. And <a href="http://www.fromtracie.com/2014/10/i-wouldnt-ask-for-help.html" target="_blank">if you aren't willing to ask for help</a> for yourself, do it for your kids. Modeling this kind of self awareness and self love for them is one of the best lessons you can teach.<br />
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<b>5. Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle.</b> This quote is often used as blogging advice, but it is true in almost everything in life, homeschool included. If you are starting out with a five year old, you won't be able to say, "Read five chapters in this book and write a summary for me," and then go sit down to an hour of uninterrupted work. All homeschool families have bad days (<i>yes, even the ones with picture-perfect blogs</i>), we all hit rough patches, and we all have to learn that what seems to be working for everyone else in the homeschool world might not work in our family. Don't get discouraged on your journey by looking how much farther down the path other people have traveled.<br />
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<b>6. Be Flexible.</b> I think this one fits with almost every point in this list. Make a schedule, have a plan, get a routine going - all of those things have their place - and then be willing to throw all of that out the window when needed.<br />
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<b>7. Have fun.</b> Take a nature walk before cracking open that science book. Have art twice a day. Read really fun books together. Share your passions, and watch as your children develop passions of their own. Enjoy the extra hours you get to spend with them each day.<br />
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This is some of my best homeschool advice. I know it didn't tell you which curriculum to buy, or how to write a lesson plan. That is important stuff, and you will do it, but I think these things are what you need to support all of those decisions. The best curriculum in the world won't mean anything if you haven't learned how to make homeschool work for your family and your schedule.<br />
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<i><b>How do you make school work in your family?</b></i> Even if you aren't a homeschooler, leave your best tips in the comments, or share what is working for your kids. We can all learn from each other as we navigate parenting and school - no matter what kind of education is best for our individual children.<br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-48542437455513073612015-02-19T23:12:00.000-05:002015-02-20T13:26:04.237-05:00Compassion Is A Calling<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>I am participating in a worldwide writing movement to speak for compassion.</i></div>
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<i><a href="http://1000speak.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">#1000Speak</a></i></div>
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Compassion is a calling. Not the kind that is only visited on a select few - it is a calling for each of us. You may have silenced its voice, pushed it down and back until you can't hear its gentle leading, but it is still there. Calling out to you.<br />
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Love.<br />
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This is the whisper of compassion.<br />
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Love is the difference between true compassion and what is so often just disguised pity.<br />
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Love is the feeling that bubbles up in your heart and shows itself in your actions. Love is what makes you dig deep, give sacrificially, hug a stranger, smile, listen closely, share tears, forgive, seek understanding, and reserve judgement.<br />
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Compassion reminds you that you know better now, but it wasn't always that way. And it enables you to see those around you with grace.<br />
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There is a verse from the Bible that echoes in my heart - usually at the most inopportune times when I am happy in my selfishness, secure in my pride, or not wanting to put others first or even consider their feelings at all.<br />
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<i>Above all, love each other deeply,</i><br />
<i>because love covers over a multitude of sins.</i><br />
<i>- I Peter 4:8</i>
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And if I listen to that echo, if I allow it to penetrate the wall I'm so often building around my heart, I will stop and think about love. Deep love. Love that covers sins also covers misunderstandings, confusion, differences, and all manner of pain.<br />
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It is easy to love my family. Sure there are small things like the one millionth conversation about leaving shoes in the dark walkway, and big things that are more important and harder to resolve, but the love is always there under and around it all.<br />
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It is easy to love my friends. Even when they make different decisions than I might make, or walk paths I would never choose for them, I can almost always see their side of the story. I might not agree, but I can understand their hearts and feel their pain and joy, and I love them exactly where they are.<br />
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But what about the rest of world? The people I don't know, the people who don't hold pieces of my heart in their hands? The ones who I don't understand at all, whose words don't even make sense to my heart? What about the people who are fast and harsh and rude? The ones with jagged edges and not a soft spot to be seen?<br />
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What is my response to these people? <br />
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Is it love - deep love - love that covers...everything?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hatred stirs up strife,<br />But love covers all transgressions.<br />Proverbs 10:12</i></blockquote>
Oh readers, not always. Not enough. I often do not look past my own feelings to care for another's. I often hold myself back from the pain. I rush past. I do not seek to listen, to understand, to love deeply.<br />
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Here's the truth: Love is messy and compassion requires work.<br />
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You can not step in and out of compassion when it suits your day.<br />
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To have true compassion, you must allow yourself to be open to another person's heart and story and truths; you have to be willing to stop and listen to not just their words but their very souls. True compassion must be mixed with the love that covers all the cracks and broken places and makes us whole.<br />
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This is the calling of compassion: To share your life and your heart with those around you. To let go of hatred and anger. To give the same grace to others that you would wish for yourself. To listen before you make up your mind, and to cover all the things, with love.<br />
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If you listen closely, you will hear this calling echoing through your heart. Reminding you to love, to serve, and to practice compassion every day.<br />
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<b>What does compassion mean to you?</b><br />
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<a href="http://1000speak.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/compassion-is-in-our-nature/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhsO31n0nfa6zNBxWaRuepP0kBxGN0OUkUULx6q632-FMsyTVVWguw5lHXDKkfmqphNOyn33Y3JQuaCX5YmsSHutf6-tN1aOIqRq4XHyQPRs1WiyyrhOoquxWheMIf4oVjqa3/s1600/1000speak.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a><i></i><br />
<i>Today, over 1,000 bloggers are joining together to write about compassion.</i><br />
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<i>It started with <a href="https://summat2thinkon.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/we-all-need-the-village/" target="_blank">a blog post from Lizzie</a> and <a href="http://yvonnespence.com/all/1000-voices-for-compassion/" target="_blank">an idea from Yvonne</a>, and blossomed into <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/306227992909657/" target="_blank">a beautiful community</a>. You can <a href="http://1000speak.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/compassion-is-in-our-nature/" target="_blank">find out more about <b>#1000Speak For Compassion </b>here</a>.</i><br />
<br />Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12565507.post-52940110647686694052015-02-17T22:36:00.000-05:002015-02-17T22:36:08.082-05:00I'm Not Answering The Phone (But I Still Love You - Or At Least Like You)I remember when phones didn't come with us everywhere. When it was still kind of a big deal to have a cordless phone in your house, and knowing that the phone would no longer work if you walked too many steps past your front door. I remember how my friends with siblings had to share phone time, because unlike Claudia Kishi, most of us only had one line.<br />
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I remember when the majority of my friends didn't have call waiting, and when I was the only one in our group to have 3-way calling service. And I even remember when there wasn't always an answering machine to pick up when people weren't home, and those days when there was no caller ID to let you know if you really did want to answer that call.<br />
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I spent a lot of time on the phone when I was a kid. Long summer afternoons. Late nights. It wasn't often far from me. I think my parents even put a phone on my birthday cake when I turned 13.<br />
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But as much as I loved the phone, and used it nearly constantly, I also have fond memories of times spent without the phone. The phone was for at home time. When you couldn't be with your friends in person, you had to call them to connect. It was nice to have that option, but it wasn't always possible. And usually there was a point in which a parent on one of the ends of the phone line would restrict the hours spent talking. If you were away from the house, pay phones were the only way to get in touch with someone, and they would only last until your quarter ran out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLoNeEfsqwnQQfRdk99NU4nk7n-2_CI5eb26tfdDQDgXz_zxITw47Duuec9YHGcTUWVpCdYR9-_1b6_o3ABYw4FMJl4MCzkHoEjsjGirHooVJ6U6Zo_eK0K53uGsYJyH4P3Yv/s1600/Thomas+and+a+Telephone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thomas is suspicious of the pay phone at Disney World" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLoNeEfsqwnQQfRdk99NU4nk7n-2_CI5eb26tfdDQDgXz_zxITw47Duuec9YHGcTUWVpCdYR9-_1b6_o3ABYw4FMJl4MCzkHoEjsjGirHooVJ6U6Zo_eK0K53uGsYJyH4P3Yv/s1600/Thomas+and+a+Telephone.jpg" height="361" width="400" /></a></div>
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When I was 18 I got my first cell phone. It had a very simple snake game on it, but that was pretty much as exciting as it got. There was no texting, and I was calculating minutes in my mind each month to make sure I didn't get hit with crazy overages. Still, it was nice to have a phone that worked anywhere (in theory - there were a lot of cell phone dead spots back then).<br />
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I am still a little amazed at having a smartphone - which is basically a small computer in my pocket that can also make phone calls. It is rare for that phone to be far away from me, especially when I'm out of the house. But that doesn't mean I'm going to answer it just because it rings. Or that I'm going to respond to a text message or email right that second just because I hear the little water droplet notification noise.<br />
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If you aren't my husband, my kid, or possibly my mom, I'm not answering my phone in a restaurant. Period. And if you are one of those people, I'm having a super quick conversation mostly to ascertain if you are bleeding or not, and then telling you I will call back.<br />
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In fact, if you aren't my husband, my kid, or possibly my mom, I'm not answering my phone a lot of the time: During a great tv show. When I'm writing. While I'm in a store. In the car (even if I'm not the one driving). If I'm having a great conversation with someone in front of me. During dinner, or even a particularly yummy snack. While I'm listening to NPR with my family on Sunday night. In the middle of work. When I don't want to take a break from my book. Or when I'm in the bathroom for any reason.<br />
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You see, just because I have a phone, and you have the number, doesn't mean I am required to talk to you at the exact second you decide to call. This isn't a slight. It applies to people I love very much, and with whom I always enjoy talking. It really isn't about you at all. It is about me. About my boundaries. About me being present in the moment I am in, and not connecting with the place I am not every second of the day. About me not being distracted.<br />
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This is true of social media, too. I will pop on for a few seconds to update something in the moment, or to share a picture while I'm out doing something, but it I usually won't be responding to comments or interactions until I get home. And 90% of the time, the status update or picture won't actually get posted until I'm home, either. I'm in the moment. I'm <i>WITH</i> the people I'm with.<br />
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Of course there are exceptions. There are times when I need to be out of the moment, or I need to reach out for support right away. There are times when I want to update facebook right that second, and I do it. There are even times when I make a quick call to ask a question or check up on someone, even though I'm riding in the car or on the way to an outing with my family or a friend. I'm not unreachable. But I am aware that most of the time things can wait for a couple of hours.<br />
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These are my boundaries. I don't expect you to share them. But if you do, know that I will never be insulted that you didn't answer your phone for me because you were doing something else. I don't think it is a reflection of how much you care about me, but could very well be a reflection of how much you care about yourself.<br />
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I remember those days of walking away from the house and leaving the phone behind, and in almost every instance, it was okay. So while I will always have my phone with me these days, I might not always act like it.<br />
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<b><i>Do you feel like you have to answer the phone when it rings? </i></b>Tracie Nallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07908908021649000930noreply@blogger.com32