I took an oath

The future of the news business was on everyone’s minds during the recent Society of Professional Journalists Convention & National Journalism Conference. Even though I devote a large part of my workdays to public relations and marketing, I spent more than a decade in newsrooms around the country and have been a SPJ member for 14 years.

I remember taking an oath to “uphold the ideals of the Society of Professional Journalist” as a sophomore at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. My journalism career was barely beginning and I hardly knew a lead from a nut graph (I’ll let you non-journalists Google those terms).

Through the years, SPJ has played a significant role in my life and career – teaching me about the profession, deepening my love for a job that truly has the power to make a difference, giving me lifelong friends bound by that similar oath.

This year we marked the 100th anniversary of the Society – not to mention the 40th anniversary of when women were admitted to the organization. SPJ has roots as a fraternity, first named Sigma Delta Chi. In many ways, we remain that fraternity.

This year I think I felt that fraternity spirit more than others. We all pulled together for those who’d found themselves on the other end of a pink slip. We collectively expressed our concern over the dwindling number of newspapers, the shrinking newsroom staffs, the buyouts and the furloughs.

And yet at the end of the convention, we raised a glass a champagne, toasting the last 100 years and looking ahead at 100 more. Because journalism can come in many forms – print, TV, radio, online – but the people who report the news, who keep a watchful eye on government, who tell the stories that need to be told, well, we’re not going anywhere. We took an oath.

Happy Anniversary, Clint!

It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years since Clint and I stood before friends, family and God and entered into that sacred bond of marriage. In many ways, it seems like only yesterday. Other times, it is hard to remember my life without my sweet husband.

So, today, in honor of our ninth anniversary, I list nine things I love about my husband:

1. He is a handsome devil! (Especially when he has a little 5 o’clock shadow going on.)
2. He can make me laugh – sometimes when I don’t even feel like laughing.
3. We have inside jokes and stories. I can mention a catch phrase or a place we’ve visited and it’s a memory only he and I share. (Like, eating at the table where the bear ate sugar packets.)
4. When I gained 35 pounds of baby and looked like a beached whale, he told me I was beautiful and looking into his eyes, I knew he meant it.
5. He works hard and provides for our family.
6. He loves our baby girl, and I love watching them read books together on the couch.
7. He sticks with me, even when times are rough or I’ve hit a hard patch of life.
8. He tells a great, unabbreviated story about how we met and fell in love.
9. He is just the kind of husband I always wanted – committed, faithful and loving.

I could go on, but you get the picture. I have a great husband and look forward to many more years together.

Guest blog for Step Ahead

I'm guest blogging again:

My first real foray into the land of Web 2.0 was a blog I started in fall 2005. It was mainly a way to record and share the moments in my life with friends and family. Since then, I’ve jumped on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. I feel immersed in the world of social media and its capabilities as a personal and business tool.

But earlier this month, I discovered an entirely new use for social media and the Internet when a professional colleague and friend passed away after a battle with brain cancer.

Read more on the Step Ahead Inc. blog.

Sending up prayers

This week I've been saying lots of extra prayers for Terry Harper, who has been a terrific executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists. Terry joined the Society as ED just after I joined the national board. I worked with him for six years while I served as a regional director. Terry has been battling a brain tumor and the latest news is not good. You can read more about Terry's journey on his blog. I believe in a God who can work miracles, so I continue to pray for one, as well as for peace and comfort for Terry, his wife and their two sons.

Surviving and then thriving

In the last month, I’ve finally started to think I might actually make it. Getting laid off last fall was a devastating blow. At the time, I had plenty of friends – many of whom had been laid off themselves at some point – tell me they were certain things would work out for the better.

The logical part of my brain knew they were right. God would provide. I would find more work. I would survive. The emotional part of my brain just couldn’t comprehend such a concept. I was sure I’d hit a professional rock bottom with no hope of a lifeline.

My decision to pursue work as a self-employed freelancer seemed the only choice at the time, although a part of me wondered if I were dooming my family to a financial mess. But the work came in – a job here, a job there … then steady contract work and some more assignments.

And now I find myself busy, busy, busy. This summer, I’m planning to form my own official company and I just might make more money this year working for myself than I did last year working for someone else. And the good news is I won’t lay me off because of the economy and I will appreciate all my hard work and effort.

I’m grateful to the people who have given me work, referrals, recommendations and encouragement over the last several months. Thank you for having faith in me when I was having a hard time having faith in myself.

The double 3

So, today was the big 33. It was a pretty uneventful day. Although, I did take a nap and watch a little TV.

And, I played in my flowers, which is always fun. Here is a photo of my container gardens. I decided to combine some herbs, annuals and my strawberry and tomato plants into larger pots for the backyard. I'm hoping they will thrive in the added sunlight.

Guest blogging

I was really excited to be a recent guest blogger for The Organizing Mama, Stacey Crew. She has a great Web site and blog. I wrote about raising a green child and my efforts to make my home and family more environmentally friendly.

I consider myself pretty green. I recycle paper, plastics, glass and batteries. I don’t print too many documents and use both sides of the paper when I do. I rarely buy bottled water and reuse gift bags and ribbons. I think I finally have gotten into the habit of carrying my reusable bags into the grocery store. And I donate to thrift stores instead of tossing perfectly good clothing or household items in the trash.

Read more at The Organizing Mama Blog.