Change is the only consistent thing around here!

I got a new job title last week.  Well, I haven't actually started my new job, but I will soon...as soon as I can brain dump on my coworkers who will now function as one team of 5 instead of 2 teams of 3.  I'm looking forward to another challenge.  Something to keep me sharp.  Something to help me help others as much as I can. Now that I know I'm going to change jobs, I just want to get started! 

A Little Perspective

We are a family of eight: Jeramie, Bobbi, Anna, Alex, Grace, Evan, Petunia, Tucker.  Altogether, chances are pretty good that something out of the ordinary will happen on any given day.  I guess when you put it all together the ordinary things seem ordinary.  Life seems pretty boring from day to day, often because I don't take the time to consider the small miracles that happen between time slots in our schedule. 

To begin - introductions:
I am a full time employee and a full time mom.  Someday soon I hope to reduce my workload to just one full time position.  In the mean time I will try to help as many people as I can since that is actually my job. 

Jeramie works in IT solving the world's problems on a daily basis.

Anna is a brilliant young lady of almost 8 years.  She is in second grade and loves to read.

Alex is an energetic 6-year-old-first-grader who imagines things I've never dreamed of.  He loves solving problems and finding ways to make things easier (like homework for example).  I wonder where he gets that from?

Grace is a spunky 5-year-old in Kindergarten.  She is loving her first year of school.  She is a great big sister. 

Evan turned one in September.  He is independent and independent!  Need I say more? 

Petunia and Tucker are our bluetick coon hounds.  They love to go for walks, chew on toys and get into as much trouble as they can.  They are very good at what they do :) 

Each of us has a story.  Some more complicated than others.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I only have time for introductions now! 

Let's get this started...

I've heard about blogs, I've read a few, and I'm always impressed how a little creative writing and a human story can create so much interest.  As one who studies human behavior, this is even more interesting to me.  Who has blogs? Why do they have blogs? For what greater good is a blog?  With very minimal research it is obvious that blogs (and social networking sites as well) serve a purpose in today's society.  They elicit a valuable commodity: social support. 

As a social worker I know that it is impossible for most people to ask other people for help or "support."  We are raised to suck it up, get over it, just do it.  So what do we do when we need help?  Typically, nothing.  We wait until the extreme, until we can't take it anymore.  Here's where something as simple as a blog, or facebook, comes in.  A blog gives us a way to tell others in our social network that stuff is happening in our life, inside our four walls, and at some point we may need someone to laugh at our jokes or listen to us when ve've had a good/bad/strange/normal/exciting/boring day.

Welcome to my blog.   Hopefully our story will make you smile at least once - because we are easy to laugh at or because you feel a little better knowing that the same things happen to us all!