Internet Finds

The breadth of my Internet travel is shameful. I lazily stick to about a handful of sites and call it a day. Honestly, the Internet wears me out. Thankfully, I have friends who have a much more expansive approach to the Internet, and they are friends who share their knowledge. Few things excite me more than receiving an email with some fun Internet finds. My dear friend Sarah recently emailed me these videos. Why are these girls not famous? Why have these videos not gone completely viral?

Marital Coordination

There has been another major lag in my postings. I see why blogging is a full-time career for some folks. It's very hard to blog and have another full-time gig. John and I have joked that we don't have just full time jobs, but rather a variety of side gigs. Sometimes I feel like my professional life is very a la carte, a little of this, a little of that.


This past weekend John and I coordinated our friends' wedding. This was the first time John and I have worked together in a job capacity. We did really well. John took care of the musical logistics, which included jamming with the bluegrass band, and he did a great job organizing the men. I took care of the decor, general concerns, and keeping everything of time. The wedding turned out beautifully. I was proud that we pulled it off, especially since the wedding was in the middle of a field, a mile away from the parking lot, with no easy electricity hookup for sound.

During the reception a few different folks suggested that John and I make a career of wedding coordinating. It's not really my field. John perked up at the idea, though. Over the past days I have watched the wheels turn as John is thinking about picking up another side gig. For some reason I can't help but laugh at the thought of John and I going into the wedding biz.

Here are some fun photos from this past weekend.

Another Song for Your Head

So this is Public Health, for sure. I want to write a book of comments on YouTube videos. There are some serious commentators to this video.

Song for Your Head

Here is an addicting song about the conflict of addictions for your Wednesday. So Public Health. Kind of.

What do you think?

Name That Baby!

Source

I understand that my recent posts have been simply reposting NPR content, but there have been a number of interesting features lately. Yesterday I ran across this  post about baby names. I have some anecdotal data of my own about popular baby names across socioeconomic groups. I worked with a number of women who looked to America's Next Top Model for their baby names. By the way, are the names on America's Next Top Model real? Or, does it really mean if you name your child something whild she is likely to make it in the world of reality television?

Coming up with the perfect name for a child can definitely be tricky. We chose names we felt gave enough wiggle room for our children to develop their own personality, not have their personality defined by their name. We wanted names that were known, but not super common. Both names we have chosen are starting to trend a little. I'm always fascinated how within one year a name can boom, especially if that name is not involved with some pop culture phenomenon (I'm speaking to you, all you Twilight babies!). I am not sure how common Grayson and Lucy are becoming, but on a regular basis I am told about other little children with the same name. It's not a big deal to me, just as long as there are not more than four or five Grayson's in his class. Interestingly, there were four Shannons in my kindergarten class. After elementary school I never had anyone in my class with the same name. Is my name for underachievers? Where did all the Shannons go?

I easily get sucked in to looking at name trends. The name mapper on the Baby Wizard is so fun! It turns out Grayson appears to be a name only folks in the deep South use, and Lucy spreads from the Midwest to West, with Utah taking first in favoring it. Trends!

What do you think about baby names? It's funny that we call it "baby names" when the term should be "person names".

Revisiting the Background to Snapshots

Have you heard of Dear Photograph? Today is the first time I have heard of this site, and I'm in love. I love simple snapshots so much more than intentional photography. I feel like there is more back story to snapshots. I love that this site creatively revisits photo locations and gives some commentary. Here is the story from NPR.

Enjoy!

Follow-Up on Communal Singing

There have been some blog comments and comments in person about communal singing. How fun would it be to have a city tour company that provided communal singing experiences? I would totally buy a ticket for that bus. I mean, look what communal singing did for all the down-and-out folks on the Almost Famous bus.

Maybe I should start looking for old school buses or church vans?

Music to Make You Sing

Every so often I come into contact with a band that has all the elements I love. The band to most recently hit me is The Lumineers. I cannot resist group singing. The Lumineers make me want to take a bus trip with folks who will sing along to every song. Don't you just love those moments when groups of people sing together? So communal.

What do you think?

Missing Vacation

This is the first summer in a while that I do not have a big trip to look forward to. Kind of a bummer. Actually, really a bummer. I have been thinking a lot about Colorado lately. I lived there as a kid. The last time we visited was two years ago for the wedding of one of my best friends, Morgan. Morgan just had her beautiful baby boy, Hayden, last month. What I would give to be able to go visit Morgan and her family this year!

As part of my reminiscing and daydreaming of Colorado, here are some flashback photos from two summers ago. It was such a great trip. Morgan had such a beautiful wedding.

What They're Known For

I have found that after having children I have had the same conversations countless times. When I am not having the same conversation verbatim, I am at least discussing the same topic. The most frequently recycled conversations happen with strangers, the conversations about what is physically striking about Grayson and Lucy. At least once a week a stranger will tell me that he or she loves Grayson's haircut. I always respond the same, "We have no choice but to give him that haircut." The other day someone asked me, "Is your son the one with the hair? (while gesturing a straight line across her forehead to signify bangs)" Grayson is known for his straight locks. He always receives comments on his pouty lips and expressive nature. More frequently I receive comments about how liberal Lu is with her smiles. Seriously, the girl shows no discretion for smiling. I have one child who is very discerning when it comes to deciding what to validate with a smile or laugh, and the other who validates so often that I wonder if she has any standards for comedy at all. Lu has also received several comments about her eyebrows. She has been told a number of times that she has a good natural shape to her eyebrows. I am certain she is storing those compliments in her heart.

What are your kids known for?