Thursday, November 13, 2008

Playing catch-up





Yes, I am fully aware that I have not blogged in more than a week. To say I've been busy would be an understatement. Here's a bit of a probably long-winded recap.

I'd like to note at this point that I've broken the second button on my keyboard -- this time, the "N." Do you kNow how ofteN you use that key? I may sooN give up oN the letter all together. Too bad it's iN my first Name. The Name of my towN. Crap. ANyway.

Let's begin.

Election Day
This actually went very well. My county has had a bad recent track record of malfunctioning machines , recounts and other bits of voting drama. This time, however, things went surprisingly and miraculously according to plan. There were some definite long lines, but that seems to have been the case in every big city and little town.

I spent about a 14-hour day driving around the large rural county, interviewing, writing up my two or three stories for the day and repeating the cycle over again. I enjoy it though.

I'm excited that Obama won (although he definitely didn't win my county), but I'm more excited that people seem enthused and that McCain had a great concession speech and didn't allow Palin to open her mouth. We'll hear enough from her in four years or so, I bet.


The Choch and the Genius
My Aunt Alice and Uncle Paul, from NJ, came to visit last weekend. They arrived Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday morning. To say it was a great time would be a tragic understatement.

My aunt is my mom's sister and has always been a special person to me. She treats me to Chicky Kisses (you really ought to experience those once in your lifetime) and is always giving of herself. This weekend allowed them to see me and Scott in our own setting and see what we have created for ourselves so far. More importantly, it seemed to form an even stronger bond between the four of us. It was really special. I did, however, worry that one or more of the animals might just disappear around the same time that they left, especially Rocky, who was the apple of their eyes this weekend.

One of our highlights would have to be a trip to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA. Aunt Alice (Choch as she's known to me) is a huge FLW fan and was just beaming as we walked down the hill to the breathtaking building, which sits over a waterfall in the woods. She kept saying "He's a genius!" and how much she would have liked to have lived in that era so she could have lived in or experienced even closer one of the architect's creations.

A funny moment was captured on video by Uncle Paul after our tour when he asks Aunt Alice "What did you think about Fallingwater?" (You know, the place she had JUST seen and LOVED) and she, thinking he said Law and Order, went, "Who?" You can check it out on YouTube and enjoy my giggling in the background. (Search Fallingwater What)

Choch also taught me a good joke: "What are the two sexiest farm animals?" - Brown chicken, brown cow. (haha, get it?) That one's on YouTube as well, but you'll have to find it on your own.


Tragedy in a small town
On Sunday, a woman was on her lunch break in the parking lot of a restaurant where she worked when her estranged husband came running across the parking lot toward her, shooting her at least twice with a sawed-off shotgun. She died shortly after. I've spent the first half of this week learning about the accident, researching Protection from Abuse orders (she had one against him at the time of the shooting) and communicating with family members for a look at who she was as a person. It's been a hard week, no matter how professional I try to be, The woman was 24 and had three young children.

I'll probably be following this story for a long while. The district attorney is considering going for the death penalty.

They say everything happens for a reason.

A huge disappointment came as mistakes were edited INTO my story by someone working at night at the paper. What a heart-breaker not just for me, but for her family. We're trying to work out those kinks, but I don't know. I wish I could say this is the first time it's happened. I hope it gets worked out.



Well, I can't really end on that note, but I'm not sure what else to write. Izzie goes to the groomers today, so I'll be sure to get a before and after of our shaggy little baby.

Enjoy the pictures from our trip to Fallingwater!

*W*

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