Monday, October 8, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Time Flies!
Wow how time flies!!!
Obviously in the last 2 months, a lot has happened! It was so tough to keep it a secret...but the cat's out of the bag! Adam and I are so excited (nervous) to be expecting our first baby!!! Our due date is May 15th and the months are passing way too fast! I thought I would feel more prepared and ready at 22 weeks...but no! I still feel like there is so much to do. Who knew there was so much official research! We are in the process of signing up for Hypnobabies classes, interviewing and finding a Doula, interviewing pediatricians, and signing our life away in hospital registrations! If anyone has great recommendations- send them our way!!! We find out the gender in just a few short weeks! Once we know that, then I can get started with the nursery! We can work on names, themes, registry, etc! All the fun stuff! There is so much to learn, it can take hours of research just on one item! Wish us luck for the ultra sound! I will post gender as soon as we know;) Here's a pic to hold you over!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Photos!
This weekend was a crazy one! It ended late on Sunday with some family pictures that turned out AMAZING!!! Adam and I haven't had "professional type" photos taken since out wedding and I have really been wanting some with the dogs! My sister- who is a fabulous photographer met us in Tempe and took some photos of us that literally have left me in "awww!" She is so talented and has wanted to get into family photography forever! I'm so glad she has finally started! These photos speak for themeselves! If anyone is interested- check out Michelle Catherine on Facebook!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Bullying- A post by Bethany Joy Galeotti
I lived the second half of my adolescent life in a small town called Ridgewood, New Jersey. My house being just one town over, most of my afternoons and evenings were spent at the Ridgewood movie theatre, the Starbucks, and the vintage shop across the railroad tracks. I had many significant childhood moments there; midnight sneak-aways for frozen yogurt at TCBY with mom, 5-hour long writing sessions (of my first script) at Starbucks, teenaged kisses, shopping with close friends, and after-school ice cream breaks at Haagen Daaz. I went to my first party with alcohol in Ridgewood. I had sleepovers and homework cram sessions, went to football games and youth group, I had days when I was on the top of the world, and days when I wished the world would swallow me up-- the way one can only wish when they are 16. My life was extremely ordinary in that regard. There have been and will be so many New Jersey teens who experience these things in that tiny town. One of these teens was Tyler Clementi.
At just the tender 18 years of age, and a freshman at Rutgers U, Tyler felt that wave of despair the way so many of us did when we were bullied, humiliated, rejected and exposed, and Tyler decided that he couldn't take it anymore.
You've no doubt read about his suicide. It's been all over the news in the last few days. It broke my heart to hear about him, and then to find out that he was a Ridgewood, New Jersey kid-- that he'd walked up and down those streets where I walked, that he'd seen movies at that theatre and probably had a favorite drink he ordered every time he went to the adjacent Starbucks where he'd, no doubt, spent time sitting and laughing with friends after school or doing homework... it just hit me really close to home and reminded me of my teenage years and how truly difficult they were. Not difficult because they were birthed in any extarordinarily awful circumstances; difficult because... it's just really, really hard to be a teenager.
I was a pretty lonely kid. I had moved around a lot and related better to adults sometimes due to growing up in the entertainment business. I was always the girl that got bullied because I was eccentric. I wore loud clothes, I sang all the time, I was a know-it-all, and had weird (but yummy) food in my lunch box. When I moved to New Jersey I had come from Texas, so my Southern twang didn't help me much either. The long and short of it is: I was desperate for people to like me, but terrified to let people in. I was never one of the "popular" girls-- they were always mean. I guess I floated around a lot in different crowds. There was a small group of girls in high school who let me hang out with them. They were sweet and, though I never totally felt like one of them, I did feel safe. I had a best friend, Jenny, who I still talk to, there was a boy (isn't there always) and I had my youth group. Most of the kids in the youth group were nice to me-- mostly, I suspect, because it was the "Christian" thing to do. Nonetheless, I was grateful for it. My loneliness was eased during those years by a small handful of kids who were kind enough to be nice to the weird girl, but it was still hard-- and that was before what I called the American Gossip Epidemic.
(People Magazine covers from 1995 vs. 2010)
Back then, in the 90s, the internet was an amazing new gadget and certainly not much of a site for social networking. The tabloids were mostly about Bat-babies and Aliens, People magazine had a few gossip spots but was mostly full of human-interest stories, and Entertainment Tonight, more fluff than the deep & personal investigation of celebrities, was considered to be a trashy gossip show (at least in my house it was). And then, somewhere along the line, someone opened up the concept of "reality show"... we could actually spend our time watching someone else's life in ruins and, in turn, feel better about our own. It was something to talk about at the water-cooler. It was innocent, we said-- a "guilty pleasure". Shows like Big Brother & The Bachelor gained popularity and, soon, cheap, trashy knockoffs began to circulate network and cable. Then the tabloids caught on that people wanted to see more carnage! Whose marriage is falling apart? Who is secretly gay? Who has an eating disorder? Who is outrageously fat (even though she's a size 6)? It became a virtual Colloseum for a modern-society.
And we didn't mind. It was an escape for us. A way to not think about how bad WE had it. So demand became supply, and year after year we gave in. What was once chatter about The Duchess of York's divorce became the routine commentary on celebrity vaginas and coked-out, 20something child actresses with bad plastic surgery.
Is it any wonder that teenagers today are so desensitized? We are leading by example and telling them that humiliation is common ...acceptable even, as a form of personal entertainment! "It's just a little gossip," we say, "it's not hurting anyone."
Well, you know what? I'm sick of it. It IS hurting people. It hurt Tyler Clementi. It hurt Matthew Shepard. It hurt Hope Witsell and Jessie Logan, two girls who, in unrelated cases, committed suicide after intimate photos were circulated by ex-boyfriends. It hurt Phoebe Prince (left) who was 15 when she became the target on sexually related online and in-class rumors and killed herself. There are countless others. And you know who else gossip has hurt? People like Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears-- I don't care if you think they invited it-- it HURTS them. These young women have been fed to the wolves by their parents and the media and there's only more to come.
But you don't have to be a part of that! Our society runs on supply and demand. If you stop demanding-- they'll stop supplying. The only way to change the world is one step at a time. The only way to stop the emotional massacre that is viral among our youth is for YOU to make a change in your own life. Stop buying trash magazines. Stop watching TMZ and visiting gossip websites. Just STOP! It's a lazy mindset and we are all contributing to these suicides and humiliations every single time we choose to engage in this garbage.
We are better than this. We are intelligent, vibrant, interesting people. We have amazing depths to offer one another in relationship. The next time you are standing in line at the grocery store and you grab that gossip rag out of habit, please think of Tyler Clementi. He may not have been famous, but he was a victim of the deviance bred into our society by the very magazine you hold in your hand.
I think about when I used to wander the Ridgewood streets where Tyler once walked. I remember the pain I felt as a teenager when a rumor about a boy I liked circulated, or a note I wrote got read by the wrong person-- and that's peaches in comparison to nude photos and videos and things that go around now. We didn't have the internet back then to broadcast it to the whole world-- thank God! 50 people was enough! I can't even imagine trying to wake up and go to school the next morning after being globally humiliated the way teens are nowadays.
If you are a teenager, I don't envy you your pain, but I do see the amazing opportunity you have to change the environment around you. Your parents aren't perfect, no one is, and if they didn't teach you to be kind then teach yourself. Take responsibility for your own words, thoughts and actions and make this world a better place than what has been left to you. Please.
We have to start somewhere...
Monday, September 19, 2011
this week1
This week in the Gilbert household we are trying to recover from our BUSY, BUSY week and weekend. We had three sets of friends in town and LOVED it! I'm trying to convince Adam to buy his first par of Tom shoes....not going so well... I had a chance to get together with a good friend and see The Help! So Good! Read the book first but, both are SO good! Fall TV is finally beginning and I can't wait!!! Along with TV football season is in full swing....eh. I'll watch the Cardinals and the Saints but 3 games on Sunday, 2 games on Monday, and another on Thursday is WAY over my limit. Oh well, what...5 more months:( I recently found a new non-profit company called To Write Love On Her Arms. Such a cool concept behind the brand. It focuses on teen depression and even hits on cyber bullying- something that really scares me. I feel so bad for teens these days! Visit TWLOHA.com for more info if you want to learn or donate! Lastly, the countdown is on for Prague and Budapest! My family decided a couple months ago that this would be our Xmas vacation! SUPER excited...hope it works out! Well that's the Gilbert Fam this week. Have a good one!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Things You Might Not Know...
I was in the worst mood on my way into work today but, as soon as I pulled onto the street my school was on, I felt calm and almost still. The entire street was lined with American Flags! Beautiful!
Day to day conversations with Adam or I probably don’t go into detail and there are Some Things You Might Not Know…
Compared to most in our generation Adam and I are pretty “into” politics. We love to discuss, learn, and challenge each other and other people when it comes to the laws and views of others. If you were to judge us by our “covers”, I can tell you right now that you would be WRONG!
I am obviously a huge supporter of the environment, education, and animals. I try to live in a free and natural world without chemicals/pesticides. I was raised in a non-judgmental family. Growing up my parents never questioned religion of others, race, ethnicity, etc… I was always encouraged to hang out with who I wanted and see the world. Knowing my background & family, seeing me happy and bubbly talking about the latest celebrity gossip, and knowing I’m a teacher; you would assume I am very liberal and left….not so much:)
Adam was raised in Arizona (always known for being a more conservative state) in a small, private Christian school setting. He was mostly surrounded by upper middle class Caucasians who basically had the same home life as himself. His father was a small business owner, as well as most people in his family and most of his friend’s parents. Seeing him on a day to day basis and knowing his background you would think he is extremely conservative and right….not so much:)
The truth is Adam has grown and has taken on many political and personal views that can sometimes be liberal, but he doesn’t ever stray from his conservative roots either! I have grown into my own shell and surprisingly strayed from my parents and taken on a more conservative view! Very Interesting! We cross the line between republican & democrat all the time. I love to use Meghan McCain’s term “moderate republican.” We believe in human right and equality, education, and the environment (me more). We also believe in being fiscally conservative and that America was built on the dream of enterepranualism.
My biggest republican view comes into play when talking about the military. I am a HUGE supporter of our troops. Adam & I believe war is an action we have to take at points and I am so VERY grateful for the men and women who choose to protect our freedom…something that many American’s take for granted. We’re the country we are today because of these heroes. It’s a dangerous and selfless job that many people are not brave enough to do.
I love seeing them walk through buildings, stores, and airports in uniform. I love when they can board planes early, get preferred seating at an event, and in rare yet thrilling circumstances, receive rounds of applause.
I love people taking pride in our country. I love seeing them holding the flag while we play the national anthem. I always stop and stand still no matter where I am when I hear it. I love seeing people who keep their flags up year round and not just on certain holidays. Most of al I love the camaraderie that troops, the flag, and specials days like today bring. 9.11 is such bittersweet day …it took such a horrific event to help people put down their judgments and political views and band together. Be at peace today.