Socially Savy Families

The structure of the modern family has definitely changed. Long gone are the days when dad worked a typical 9-5, mom stayed home and had dinner on the table by 5:30, and the kids went straight to bed right after dessert. These days mom and dad are both working, sometimes more than one job, and the kids are starting their own personal ventures at a very early age. For the Wilson family, life is ultra hectic with Dad working as a venture capitalist and serving on boards for Twitter and Etsy, and Mom working on investing and entrepreneurial endeavors, as well as running her blog Gotham Gal. The two also have a very strong online presence. Along with their children, the Wilson family runs a total of 9 blogs covering everything from technology to photography to culinary arts. It is the new face of the modern family. The Wilsons have encouraged their children to become avid social media mavens, and have even been the catalyst for much of their children’s social media activities. What the Wilsons have created in their social media empire is becoming more mainstream with families across the country.

It seems everyone is “plugged in” these days, and many of our extracurricular activities involve communicating online. With parents who work extra long hours, oftentimes commuting for work, online tools such as Skype and Google Messenger allow them to stay in touch and share the details of their day, while sites like Flickr and Tumblr allow families to share vacation photos and special events. In some instances these online tools are now helping the launch new careers. Jessica Wilson, after months of coaxing by her parents began her online trek after exploring the popular site Etsy, in which her dad is on the board of directors. Jessica, an aspiring photographer, is now enjoying the perks of being connected to her social media savy father who has over 173,000 Twitter followers and over 250,000 unique visitors a month on his blog avc.com. She now blogs and posts photos on Facebook and Tumblr on a regular basis, and gets tons of foot traffic through her family’s social media platforms.

Unfortunately for me, my husband despises social media. He could care less if I ever posted another photo or wrote another blog post in my life. In fact, he has requested to remain absent from my social media platforms (party pooper!). He has a more old fashioned view and prefers to keep his daily life private from the rest of the world. Pretty ironic for a man who has just signed on to do a reality show pilot. He has been pretty slow warming up to the idea of social media. He doesn’t have a Facebook, he doesn’t do Twitter, and he absolutely hates when anyone in the family posts a photo or a comment about him on our blogs or Facebook pages. I can’t wait to see him cringe after reading this post **evil laugh**

What the Wilsons have created is a new type of family empire. They have, in a sense, gone down a road very similar to reality television stars like The Kardashians and The Hogans. They each have their own products and platforms, and they meet in the middle to create an even larger product. It also teaches their kids to be much more independent and more confident about their ability to create their own empires. Starting at an early age could yield fantastic results for their personal brands, and possibly allow their parents to retire at an early. Who knew could bring a parent so much joy?

Her Royal Highness

This week was quite eventful for me. From Monday through Sunday I managed to experience things that will stick out in my head for years to come. I survived my first Relay For Life with my family, witnessed the amazing wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and listened to President Obama deliver a speech to the world announcing the death of Osama Bin Laden. But none of those events quite measured up to celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday. In a ceremony fit for a Queen, my family and I gathered to pay homage to a woman who has more strength than all of us combined. As each of us stood up and honored her in our own special way, there was not a dry eye in the house.

I was blessed to be able to grow up with both sets of grandparents by my side. So it is safe to say that at times I didn't know the value of what I had. They say you never miss your water til your well runs dry; well when your well is always overflowing, it is easy to overlook the smallest of blessings. It has taken me this long in life to recognize the magnitude of having a grandmother who is devoted to improving the lives of her children and grandchildren. Too often in life we get so wrapped up in our immediate needs that we never stop and enjoy the journey to greatness. In our every day lives we are so quick to focus on the 20 things that are wrong, and overlook the one thing that's right. Well when you live to be 90 years old, its hard to overlook that one thing that's right.

Treat your life as if it truly is a gift. Take stock in the simple things that make imprints on the mind. I may not remember all the things she said, but I remember the message my grandmother gave me. God doesn't OWE us life, he gives us life. Its a gift that we sometimes forget we have. So to the 90 year old Queen in my life-thank you for reminding me of my gift, and thank you for sharing yours with me.

Finding Relief after dealing with Cancer

Whenever I see the words ‘Cancer’ written down on paper my heart sinks way down into the pit of my stomach. Words cannot express how much I despise the disease, and how much I hope and pray that I see a cure sometime in my lifetime. Instead of finding a cure, we are faced with the fact that Cancer is spreading more and more every day, and getting uglier by the minute. After watching my loved ones be affected by the disease again this summer, I vowed to spread the word as much as I can and show people how important it is to lend a hand in helping to fight the disease.

I am fortunate enough to live in a community where the fight against Cancer is a main priority. We have amazing facilities that provide services to families in need, and are 1 in only 22 states fortunate enough to have a Hope Lodge; a facility that offers cancer patients and their families a free, temporary place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be in another city. It also provides a nurturing, home-like environment where patients and caregivers can retreat to private rooms or connect with others who are going through many of the same experiences.

Our local hospital’s Cancer Services Department is now offering yet another resource for patients and their families. Starting this month they are offering a series called “Living on after loss”; an eight-week series on learning, understanding and dealing with loss. The program strives to help participants sort out the pain and suffering that goes along with losing a loved one to Cancer. Participants will engage in activities that show them how to deal with grieving as a process, instead of a single event as they share with others with similar situations.

The meetings will be held each Monday from 5:30-7pm Jan. 24th-March 14th in the activity room of The McConnell-Raab American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, 930 Wellness Drive (near the ViQuest Center). There is no fee to participate in the program, but pre-registration is required by calling Kimberly Garner at 252-847-9450. It is so encouraging as a family member of a Cancer survivor to see programs geared towards awareness and survival after loss. Fighting against Cancer is so much easier when we have full knowledge of the disease and understand ways we can help.

For more information on the programs and services offered at the McConnell-Raab Hope Lodge visit http://www5.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/hopelodge/NC_Greenville/mr_index.asp or to join in the fight against this year’s Relay For Life in Pitt County visit http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=3299

Under a Rock...

Yes people, I have in fact been under a rock. Not the type of rock that affected those determined Chilean miners, but more like a psychological rock-a defense mechanism perhaps. It seemed that as soon as I decided to bare my soul to the world, a huge wall built up around me. The writing on the wall said "Need a break...be back soon". (Amazing that I didn't even recognize my own handwriting) I guess the break was more needed than I thought. I haven’t updated my blog, and I missed my last deadline for my monthly column in ‘Her…magazine’. I look forward to writing my column in the magazine every month, but this month I was so busy that I completely forgot about it. I thought maybe I could throw something together at the last minute just to make the deadline, but I don’t produce junk. So what was better, a last minute article that didn’t measure up to my normal work, or simply foregoing this month’s issue? Of course I went back and forth, thinking to myself that I might lose a few audience members if I stayed away too long. But when push came to shove, it was either lose some of my audience or lose my sanity. For what it’s worth, I chose sanity.
You'll have to count it to my head, and not my heart. I really haven't intentionally dismissed all that is around me. I simply needed to focus more on pertinent issues around me. Like my 13 yr old stepson who is going through a sea of growing pains, or my tired and stressed out husband who is running a million dollar firm on a wing and a prayer, or my best friend who lost both her dad and her brother this summer. We were all VERY tired and needed a minute to regroup. There is only so much chocolate and wine in the world, and driving to a PTA meeting drunk and fat is NOT an option for me.

Amazingly enough, the world was still in tact once I poked my head out from under that rock. I had the impression that the rest of the world had been spinning ferociously and had left me behind. I expected to come out and see little green men in space suits walking around Wal Mart and the Dollar Store as if I had been gone for centuries. As busy as I am, 5 days does seem like a century for me. My friends, my emails, my Twitter updates had all been pushed to the back burner. But thankfully for me, they were all still waiting when I came back. And now I actually feel productive again. I have on heels and eye liner again instead of flip flops and baseball caps. I feel ME again! Time to go stick my roast in the oven…

The sprit of Thanksgiving

When children smile...

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. When I was young, I fell in love with the idea of having all of my family gathered together in one place. Our everyday lives seemed to be so hectic and passed by so quickly. I didn’t quite know exactly why everyone’s lives were so hectic, but I knew that I longed for days like Thanksgiving when we would all be together.

My uncle used to joke with me about how attached I was to him when I was growing up. My youngest uncle was still in junior high when I was born, so as I was going through the motions in elementary school he was in high school raising ruckus and chasing girls. While I had intentions of having him sit and watch me play with my Barbies after school, he had intentions of taking Cassandra to the movies. Of course I did not like that one bit. I set out to ruin Cassandra’s life and rid the house of any future signs of her. My foolproof plan had one major glitch though; she was way too nice, and she was absolutely gorgeous. And unlike the other girls who came by trying to get invited to Sunday dinner, she carried herself with class and dignity. I saw the way my grandmother looked at her with approval and it resonated within me. I remember thinking to myself, “I am going to be just like her one day. And when I do, I will have a large house with tons of kids, and have GREAT Thanksgiving dinners just like we do in this house”.

As the years went on, Cassandra came and went; along with many others. But what was constant was the laughter and joy that still remained in the house. As a child who didn’t quite understand the intricacies of teenage life, I watched my aunt and uncles as they went about in their different directions. All three of them were as different as night and day. But one common thread always held them together…me. No matter how much they argued and fought, they could all agree that spending time with their niece brought them closer together. I didn’t quite get that when I was little, but as I got older I saw it for myself. I saw that no matter how hectic their lives were, or how much they argued, they could all find it in their heart to stop and give me their love and affection. Now that I’m grown, I only wish that I would have cherished those moments even more. If I could go back in time to any particular period in life it would have to be Thanksgiving Day 1982. It was the first time I could actually understand what true love was, and it was an absolutely perfect time in my life. That moment was, and will forever be priceless.

Today I can now say that I can see how much of a difference children make in our lives. Everything we do each day is to grant them better lives. No holiday is complete without the joy of the little ones. I can remember the time that I actually realized what I meant to my aunt and uncles. I never knew that something so simple as making me smile could mean so much. Today I finally get it. I finally get why it meant so much to them, and I can see how much it means to me to see all the kids in our family running around with those big smiles on their faces. I get why my stepson is ecstatic about now having a large extended family with tons of aunts, uncles, and cousins. And I get why I wake up so early on Thanksgiving morning to make sure that everything is perfect for them. I can only hope and pray that God grants me the blessing of never having to endure a Thanksgiving without a child’s smile.

Wisdom Wednesday

I have always cherished birthdays. To me, a birthday is a time to cherish all of your blessings and reflect upon the past.

Today was my 32nd birthday, and it was absolutely beautiful. Not because of any special gifts, or bells and whistles; but because today I was reminded that I have everything I need in life. God has blessed me with the spirit of resilience, compassion, love, intelligence, and understanding. I am surrounded by an amazing group of family and friends who cherish me for who I am, not what I can do-and that's amazing!
What more can a girl ask for?

I've lost someone very important in my life

Two days ago I was faced with the most horrible news I have ever received. Out of the blue, I was called to the hospital to find out that my uncle had died tragically in a house fire. I never imagined in a million years that I would have received that type of news.
My uncle and I were more like brother and sister. He was there for me all throughout my childhood, and I grew into adulthood our relationship flourished even more. I cannot tell you how many nights we have spent hours and hours on the phone, or in the living room contemplating the perils of life. I have shared things about myself that I have never told another human being, and vice versa.
What is amazing about this man is that he was born with Cerebral Palsy, and the doctors did not think that he would ever walk, let alone live for very long. Well, he proved them wrong. And he made a very impressive mark on the world. My uncle refused to take life lying down feeling sorry for himself, and went on to do many things-he travled the world, worked in construction, and was even a single parent at one time. He was such an inspiration. It is because of his inspiration that I was able to finally get up this morning without crying.
No matter what I ever did, he always told me that he was proud of me. He was proud of me for staying true to myself, and for always striving to be a better person. I truly felt that he was the only person who fully understood what I went through with depression and anxiety, and never judged me. He actually said he was proud of me for surviving my trials and not turning to drugs or alcohol to "fix" my problems. His death has actually inspired me to do even more with my life!
So today is the day of a new beginning for me. His body has passed on, but his strength has been passed down to me and my future.
Let's ride Uncle Joe!!!!!!!!!!