I'm a dork...

As soon as I typed that, Jeremy started rambling on about some car he's driving in a video game. I feel like less of a dork now...

ANYWAYS-- I have this grand plan for work that I'm going to share with you all so that you will be massively impressed with my intellectual prowess so that I can geek out a little bit and cross my fingers that all this works...

Basically, my office is always covered in paper. If you're friends with me on Facebook, I'm sure you've seen the amount of sticky notes it takes to do summer staffing and that's not even a drop in the bucket. Every week, each school requires its own van list, its own "I swear I didn't leave any kids on the van" signoff sheet, and each van has to have the forms giving us permission to transport children and all of their emergency contact information. During the summer, each field trip has to have the sign off list/van list for each van/bus, each group has to have a list of children they're supposed to have, we have to carry all the permission slips for the field trip, all the emergency contact info, and the permission slips to transport the children... so, you can see how this is piling up in my tiny little office!

We print them off, hand them out, get them back and then scan in pages with signatures to be saved on our remote desktop for access. We have to keep five years of these things around. I feel like paper is getting wasted on an almost daily basis! What the what?!

The idea with the Kindle is that we can create Adobe forms for each of these things, load them on to the tablet, and the counselors will have all the forms they could ever need in case of emergency. At the end of the week, drivers can just e-mail their forms back to me without fuss or muss!

So, Kindle #1 will go towards that testing ground this week. It won't be here in time to go to Zoo Atlanta with us, but I'm going to play around with it and with the Adobe applications to see what we need to do with our forms and how to make them. We'll take it with us to Six Flags and go from there... ultimately, I'll have five Kindles (one for each van) and a tablet with internet for me so that if we're running late I can update parents on the mailing list (accessible from the tablet, but not from my phone) and post it on our FB and Twitter as well. I'll also have all the emergency forms with me since if something happens, I ride with the child to the hospital (worst experience EVER) so I'll have that info with me.

If you're still around, you get major props from me because this is probably the most boring post ever! If you have any experience with these things, let me know-- I've never used a Kindle or a Samsung tablet, so any help I can get is appreciated!

(I'm betting at this point only Swiggett and my Aunt Linda are still reading-- if you're not one of those two, you get a prize. Maybe LindsAy... maybe.)

Relaxing?

I think I need to re-adjust my definition of relaxing... I definitely finished all the work I could for next week, and instead of taking a nap or watching more trashy TV (I'm out of "Sister Wives"! Come on, TLC, put it on hulu!) I'm helping a friend prepare for rush at UGA and creating a recruitment binder for my girls at Georgia State!

I'm hoping to get a bunch of this done before midweek-- we're going up to Indiana and even though Josh and Sarah have internets, I'm 99.999999% sure Grandma Allen doesn't and some of this needs to be done ASAP!

In other news, I'm so stoked because we booked our hotel and tickets for London, so we're basically there! Now to start the countdown... 108 days and counting! I got a deal on an amazing hotel called The Grange Tower Bridge, and the deal includes tickets to a show on Monday night (Phantom of the Opera), a double decker tour, a Thames River tour, and the rooms. I can't WAIT! The only last detail is to get to Sussex/Brighton on Thursday when we get there to celebrate Jeremy's birthday and see some of my old exchange friends from high school!

More later when I may have something more interesting to say... but for now, I'm just stupid excited about London!!

Ups and Downs -- UPDATED

WHOOPS! The link to the article is up now :) 

Every week at work now is a week of ups and downs... as summer approaches seeing as summer starts next weekend, I've been overwhelmed with paperwork and phone calls and people running so far behind on their registration that I can't staff my camps! But, in the midst of all that are the moments that I love and the moments that make me feel like I have an obligation to stay where I am. The moments that make me hope that contract negotiations go in my favor.

One of my favorite families at Camp is the Wells Family-- they have two girls adopted from China and they're all just wonderful people! Well-adjusted, good humored, and always pleasant to be around. Their parents did a wonderful interview with the adoption agency (found here) about their experience adopting an infant first and then an older child. Seeing the interview made my heart happy, and made me feel special that I'm a part of Mei Mei's introduction to America, to her new life, and to her new language.

I also love my staff. Whenever I'm having a rough day, my AD will bring me some fries from Chick Fil A, Chris will give me a back rub, someone will have a funny YouTube video for me to look at, or they'll find some adorable habit the children have and show me. Also, there's been a lot more smack talk on the radio, which is pretty hilarious when paired with Matthew's insistence on talking like he's a trucker.

Now, I just need to find the TV remote...

This Sunday in the Kitchen...

Veggie Stock starter-- carrots, radishes, onions, and carrot greens.

So far, it tastes a little weak, but I've never been one for all veggie broth ;) Some beef bouillon should do the trick to bring it up to par!

Fresh cut veggies and fresh fodder for the compost pile! Y'all, I am stupidly excited about my composting!

Cukes are from Publix, but the carrots and radishes are from the market

This go-round on the pickle brine-- should be MUCH spicier than the last round!

I'm really happy to spend my Sundays in the kitchen. I feel like I've gotten something done just putting up cukes to brine and maybe soon putting up some peaches! We got the first peaches of the season at the market yesterday and I'm so thrilled. You can get several hundred for $35, so mom and I are probably going to split them to put up. Looks like the Clarks are getting peach preserves for Christmas!

Carolina Wedding

I'm addicted to Sapphire, NC-- scroll down and you'll see why!

I did my own hair! Also, I'm ridiculously pale...

That would be a string trio and a bagpiper. 

Martha and Greg exchanging vows

We get piped in to the cocktails and h'ours dourves-- the piper even added in some Star Wars!

Waterfall near the reception site

At the reception

Martha and I at the sendoff brunch-- I love my big sis!

Sapphire, NC from the overlook

Closer view of the lake

Typical... 

Breast is Best?

I'm going to jump on the internet bandwagon and respond in my own fashion to the Time cover that's sending sounds of disquiet through the country.

The main problem with this cover isn't that there's a woman breastfeeding, or (personal feelings aside) even that she's breastfeeding a three-nearly-four-year old-- it's that the picture is staged to be deliberately provocative. Both of them are posed, looking in to the camera, she's dressed in skinny jeans and a tank top... the whole thing is just... eye roll-y.

I'm not going to pass judgement on attachment parenting; though there are a few universal truths to raising a child, you have to find what's right for your family and roll with it. I also don't have a problem with breastfeeding in public-- people need to get over boobs.

The biggest thing that this raises for me is something Guerilla Mom wrote about today in a punny post. There isn't enough education surrounding breastfeeding. Nature schmature, breastfeeding is hard! I've seen friends struggle with it, even from baby to baby, because every baby is different. Not to mention, someone's got it in their heads that since milk is something all women produce, it shouldn't be covered by food stamps! (in GA, at least, where it used to be covered about 10 years ago)

 My mother, who worked in women's health for years, had a lot of trouble with me. After getting me home, I wouldn't feed and she stopped producing. We ended up in the ER where they got me willing to eat and her able to produce.

Ladies, yes, breastfeeding is optimal for your baby but don't be ashamed of your inability to get started or even to complete-- there's a reason wet nurse was a pretty big profession back in the day. Don't be afraid to ask your doula or doctor because they are there to help. When you're touring your birthing center, ask about whether they have lactation specialists on staff, and if they don't then talk to your doctor or doula for a referral (if one of them doesn't already have the skills necessary) so that you're ahead of the game.

I realize that I'm fortunate-- I already know where I'm going to have the baby we haven't even conceived yet, and that hospital has top notch lactation specialists who are stuck to you like glue until you leave and then request follow up appointments over the first three to six months to be sure that everything is going smoothly. It's one of the reasons I chose my current OBGYN, because she has access to this particular hospital and they have the lactation consultants, flexibility with birthing plans, and all those other great crossovers from birthing centers.

Also, they serve french toast and tell you you're pretty. Who doesn't like french toast and flattery?

What a week...

The last week and a half has been... something. In case you didn't pick up from the past few months of posting, work is changing drastically. My boss has been put in the position to resign his role as youth pastor, church administrator, and overseer/adviser to my Camp program. KV has been there since I was in 5th grade-- my last real year as a camper there was his first year and we both remember it fondly. Me, crying in the corner with second degree burns. My mother, reading KV the riot act. KV, sitting calmly and nodding his head, then quietly adding sunblock to my counselor's bag on the next field trip...

KV and the music minister RF are both leaving, and it was announce officially at a staff meeting last Tuesday. I've been waiting for this to happen, but there was something about the tone of the meeting that made 20 minutes feel like a five hour funeral. None of us got much done that day, or the rest of the week...

I'm going to miss KV a lot. He's an odd bird, but very thoughtful, very encouraging, and always completely confident in the capabilities of the people he backs. He sees the potential in everyone he meets, which has made him an excellent administrator, pastor, youth mentor, and mentor for me.

I've also had quite a bit of trouble with my internet, which isn't necessarily out of the norm, but given that this is THE busiest time of year for me AND I didn't get much done after last week... it was unwelcome to say the least.

Today started out a bit better, I think this week will be ok, but I'm hoping that I can get everything done in the next two and a half days that I can possibly crank out...