Our Tallahassee Baby Shower

Before the days of failed pregnancy tests, and fertility drugs, and miscarriage, and invasive inspections of my reproductive factory, I saw pregnancy through different eyes.? I saw it as a 40 week celebration of pinks and blues filled with anecdotal food cravings and the occasional bout of heartburn.

But after my struggles, pregnancy feels more like an Olympics training camp.? A 24/7 battle to get to the goal.? No frills.? Just hard work and determination.? A battle of mental and physical wills.? I?ve foregone much of the standard celebrations, as I?ve been busy holding my breath.? I?ve spent the majority of my pregnancy too scared to look at the medal, convincing myself I?d be counting my chickens before they hatched, and then, praying like hell my chicken doesn?t hatch a moment before he?s supposed to.

So when Shayna and Renee offered to throw me a baby shower, it felt strange- almost like I wasn?t supposed to have one.? But I accepted their generosity with enthusiasm and began registering for our baby the same day.? (You gotta be on the ball, you know.)

I flew to Tallahassee for said shower this past weekend.? My shower! ??I barely slept the night before, knowing I?d be reunited with so many people I love, who love me, and even more than that, people who LOVE my unborn baby.? I couldn?t wait to show them the belly I?m so proud of, and hoped Henry might even high five a few of them through my skin (although he only performed for my sister-in law, for Shayna, for Amanda Smith, and for my mother-in-law).? Stingy.

Renee allowed me to crash with her, allowing me ample time with my nine month old nephew, who reminded me a million times how much fun is in my immediate future.? That kid does things to my heart I?ve never experienced.? (And for fun, here are a couple photos I was able to capture that will make you fall in love right along with me.) ?It?s nearly impossible to imagine how my love for my own son will be even stronger.

I was emotional from the moment I landed.? Everyone was busy celebrating my belly- touching on my stomach, squealing polite ?you?re all belly? types of sentiments, and talking to my fetus like he might respond.? Every gesture made me happy.? I don?t have many personal boundaries (shocking, I know), so I accept most all advances with enthusiasm.

I even got to talk ?baby? with some of my littlest buddies over stir fry and marshmallow ice cream.

?The experience seemed nearly ?out of body?.? I watched the weekend unfold, firmly centered around my baby and me.? The shower was beautiful.? My friends proved how well they know me by thinking of the tiniest details and crafting them in a way they knew I?d adore.

Brightly colored month-by-month stickers adorned a garland of onesies, and my friends all wrote notes for me to open each month of Henry?s first year.? My craft-deficient ass was blown away by the intricate choo-choo train constructed of totally reusable baby items by my friend Betsy of The Booten Family Blog?fame (also my Fuzz?s phenomenal daycare provider, and her mother, Beth.) ?(Betsy also constructed the diaper babies that decorated the room.)? Impressed?? Yeah, me too.? (She?s also a fabulous photographer and provided some of the photos for this post!) ?Shayna put together Sunflower centerpieces to remind me of my Kansas roots and threw in baby?s breath because, um duh, it was a BABY shower.

The menu was thorough. ?(Right down to Bloody Marys and Mimosas.) The food was delicious. (I had shrimp and grits.) ?And desserts were provided by a good friend of mine, who used to work with me in a boring office setting and now flexes her brilliance in the kitchen by baking some of the best stuff I?ve ever tasted!? (Thank Oprah she didn?t bake often when we worked together, because my stomach knows no limits.)? If you are in or around Tallahassee, I STRONGLY suggest you talk to her about impressing the guests of your next event with her sugar cookies.? Ho-lay mo-lay. ?Check out Cakes by Alisha on Facebook!

One of the coolest, most ?make me tear up? moments of the shower was the favor cards placed on the table.? In honor of my fight to conceive, Shayna and Renee made donations in lieu of favors to Resolve, The National Infertility Association.? I don?t know if I?ll ever stop thinking of myself as infertile- even when they place my baby on my belly in the hospital.? The fear and pain of repeated failures and never knowing if we?d ?get here? is something I wouldn?t wish on anyone.? Their donations toward helping someone else ?get here? means more to me than I can explain.

I?m not a big baby shower gamer.? The thought of melted candy bars in diapers disturbs me, so instead, we played a Newlywed Game of sorts.? They asked George a slew of baby related questions prior to the shower, got his answers, and then asked me to see if mine matched.? Such. Pressure.? I?m not totally sure how we scored, but George?s answers were perfect. ?Por ejemplo:

Question:? What physical quality of yours do you hope the baby inherits?
George:? I don?t know.? My eyes, I guess.

Question:? What physical quality of Jen?s do you hope the baby inherits?
George:? Everything else.? Except for her boobs, because that would be completely unfortunate.

That guy? is the dopest I know.

I spent a couple of hours visiting with friends, opening gift after gift after gift after?? I wasn?t able to fit it all in my suitcase home, that?s for sure.

I can?t begin to thank my friends and family enough.? Some traveled hours to get there, others spent a gajillion dollars hosting the thing and/or buying gifts, and I was even lucky enough to ?meet? a blog friend for the first time!? She?s been a loyal blog supporter and follower, and made her way to my shower!? How lucky is this baby?!?!?? Two people I?d never even met gave him a gift!? People are awesome.? And ?we? are grateful.

No one will ever convince me that I?m not blessed with the greatest friends in the world.

Shayna and Renee, I wanted to hug you and thank you and cry and vomit emotions of gratitude all over you, but you know me better than that.? The knot in my throat doesn?t allow for me to say all the things I feel sometimes, especially if those things might choke me up.? I?m better when I have a chance to compose my blubbering self and put those feelings on paper.? This celebration of motherhood once seemed like such a distant dream, and you both put your whole hearts in to making my baby shower something beyond what I could even hope for.? I know how lucky I am.? And I love you both.

Tagged as: 25 weeks, baby shower, friends, infertility, pregnancy, Renee, Shayna, Tallahassee, vacation

Source: http://jenhasapen.com/2012/12/22/our-tallahassee-baby-shower/

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Google working on 'X-phone,' says report

7 hrs.

Staff , Reuters

Google is working?with recently acquired Motorola on a handset codenamed "X-phone", aimed at grabbing market share from Apple and Samsung, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Google acquired Motorola in May for $12.5 billion to bolster its patent portfolio as its Android mobile operating system competes with rivals such as Apple and Samsung.

The Journal quoted the people saying that Motorola is working on two fronts: devices that will be sold by carrier partner Verizon Wireless, and on the X phone.

Motorola plans to enhance the X Phone with its recent acquisition of Viewdle, an imaging and gesture-recognition software developer. The new handset is due out sometime next year, the business daily said, citing a person familiar with the plans.

Motorola is also expected to work on an "X" tablet after the phone. Google Chief Executive Larry Page is said to have promised a significant marketing budget for the unit, the newspaper said quoting the persons.

Google was not immediately reachable for comments outside regular U.S. business hours.

(Reporting by Balaji Sridharan in Bangalore; Editing by Richard Chang)?

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at:?http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/google-working-x-phone-take-rivals-says-report-1C7659313

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WWII ?Canteen Girl? Kept Troops Company From...

American service members have long spent holidays in dangerous places, far from family. These days, home is a video chat or Skype call away. But during World War II, packages, letters and radio programs bridged the lonely gaps. For 15 minutes every week, ?Canteen Girl? Phyllis Jeanne Creore spoke and sang to the troops and their loved ones on NBC radio.?

Source: http://jennyjennybobenny.tumblr.com/post/38238228786

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Easy Ways To Find Success With Online Marketing | Jim McGilvary's ...

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If you are a newbie to internet marketing, you will need helpful information to help you get started with earning income in this lucrative field. Read on to learn some successful techniques for affiliate marketers.

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You can offer your customers the chance to become one of your own affiliates. When someone purchases your product, especially a repeat customer, talk with them about becoming an affiliate. You can earn thousands more sales by making customers into affiliates. This is a great way to expand your business and raise your profits.

A good internet marketing strategy that you can use is to place a deadline for your customers to purchase the product. If visitors see that there is only a small amount of time left to purchase the product, they might feel an extra push to go ahead and purchase it. Setting a deadline can be an easy way to generate sales.

TIP! If using banner ads, put an interesting question or piece of trivia in one, and set it up so readers need to click over to your site for the answer. Most internet surfers will likely not resist the click temptation of that banner.

Actual statistics are important. This information can reveal the amount of traffic to your website and provide details about purchasing habits.

Start small when working with online marketing. This way, as you learn the ropes, you will improve your odds for success. You will then have the necessary knowledge to take on more competitive niches.

Try asking for a raise if you are generating a good amount of leads. If you make enough money for them, they will want you to stay.

TIP! Do not include too many banners on your website. The focus of your site should be your own products.

Back-end sales are as important to your affiliate promotion efforts as the front-end sales. If the customers you referred to a product liked it enough to purchase additional ones, then you deserve a percentage of commission on these new sales. Only do business with companies who offer you a fair commission.

Tracking Service

A tracking service can be a very useful tool. There are some affiliates that are known to calculate the sales that you bring to them incorrectly, and if you chose them, you will lose out extra profits that you could be bringing in. Avoid this headache by using your tracking service at all times. The service will cost you money but it will save you money and stress in the long run.

TIP! Try and restrict your business so that you deal with fair and generous affiliate companies. A good lower bound for commissions is 20% of the product?s markup.

As this article has shown you, affiliate marketing is a great way to build your business, and get more money for you. Apply these tips today so you can be on your way to successful affiliate promotion!

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Source: http://leucabiz.com/blog/easy-ways-to-find-success-with-online-marketing/

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Caretaker / Multi Tasking Staff @ University of Delhi in Delhi.

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NBA Regular Season: Utah Jazz (13-12) at Brooklyn Nets (13-10) -- Media Notes

Game #26 ? Barclays Center ? Brooklyn, NY ? December 18, 2012 ? 5:30 p.m. (MT) ? TV: ROOT Sports ? RADIO: 1280 AM/97.5 FM and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes

NBA Regular Season 2012-2013, Game 26:

Utah Jazz (13-12) at Brooklyn Nets (13-10)

#UTAatBKN Game Stream -- NetsDaily -- Jazz vs Nets coverage

Deron Williams faces off against the club that drafted him, made him a star, then traded him

.

The always amazing Media Notes produced by the Utah Jazz:

Let's go Jazz!!

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Source: http://www.slcdunk.com/2012/12/18/3782014/nba-regular-season-utah-jazz-13-12-at-brooklyn-nets-13-10-media-notes

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