Wednesday, Nov. 17

Since Wednesday was press day, aka Crunch Time x2, I didn't get to blog. In fact, I confess, the blog didn't even cross my mind. Looking back though, I know what I was thankful for yesterday.

My job as editor of Point of Vue Magazine.

Really. I'm not just kissing ass; my bosses don't even know I have a blog.

My job is probably one of the most fun jobs there is in the world. Part of what makes it the best are the people I work with. When the day turns into night and we are all still here, it helps to have people around you that understand you and get you. Stuff can get pretty silly, fast. It helps to be able to laugh at one another.

Also have I mentioned I get paid to do something I really love? How cool is that! I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I always listed it first under Any Hobbies? Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined that it would one day become my job.

I get to be as free and creative as I like. I have a whole space to write an editor's note, that it turns out people love to read. I get to meet and visit with super cool people, and write stories about them. We have an amazing team of freelance writers, columnists and photographers that help make this a cool product.

It has been such a blessing to be involved in the magazine from it's 5th issue, over 3 years ago. Having worked in sales first to help build the magazine up to where it is today...thankful barely begins to describe it. I look forward to the many years to come.

Tuesday, Nov. 16 - small businesses

Ok, so we are going to call this post Tuesday, because even though I paused to think about what I was thankful for...I forgot to blog about it. (It's truly been a crazy week.)

Tuesday, I am thankful for small businesses.

I love small mom and pop stores, where the shop owners know your name, know your shopping style (don't bug me when I'm shopping. I'm a big girl and know what I like. I'll holler if I need help.) and will actually remember to call you when something you like comes in.

On Tuesday, I went to Cherry Books, a locally owned book store in Thibodaux, to get my dad a Christmas present. They regularly host book signings by an impressive amount of local authors. Last week mom and I went to get my Christmas present, Holly Clegg's new cookbook, signed. It's an amazing little place. If you ever get the chance to stop in, please do so. They have a great children's book selection and reading area. Story times are loads of fun too.

Small businesses are definitely the way to go these day. I have made some really good friends shopping locally. And small stores and boutiques will usually fess up about sales and kick some great deals your way. After all, they know their customers!!

Ten days of Thanks

It has occurred to me that there are ten days until Thanksgiving. I thought perhaps it would be fun to do a couple blog posts on what I am thankful for. It's looking like it's going to be an impossibly long and busy week at work and I could use the release.

Monday's No. 1 Thing I'm Thankful For: (and the most obvious) MY FAMILY

I have an amazing family. A fantastic family. A loving and caring until it hurts kind of family.

My Mom- not always my favorite person, but I love her all the same! My mom is a great and classy lady. She is the one that found me 30 years ago, fell in love with me and brought me home. She is the one that put up with my random teenage outbursts and range of emotions. She is the one that taught me to be comfortable with myself. She is the one that gave me a little brother to pick on and love with my whole heart. She is the one I go to and the one I will always trust.

My Dad- like most dads, he was always the worker bee in the family, but he is definitely who I inherited my off-beat sense of humor from. I have learned all my hardest life lessons from him. It is through my dad that I have learned what Faith is. He is the strongest person I know, and always able to calm down this hot head of mine.

My parents have also taught me what it is to love and I will be forever grateful for that.

My brother- My younger brother by 16 months, he is the biggest pest and strongest ally a big sister could ever have. Our childhood was fantastic. Our teenage years even better. You rock, lil bro!
Best of all, you gave me the greatest gift. You allowed me to be an aunt.

Lola- Be still my heart. Lola-bug, you are The. Most. AMAZING. little girl in the world. You are bright, loving, caring, beautiful and, unfortunately for your mother, remind me a little bit of me!
I hope we stay close as you grow and thrive. I love you with my whole heart, bug.

My Tech-Crazed Life

As soon as the morning alarm on my trusty iPhone chirps, my addiction to technology begins. I check my e-mails and log onto Facebook. Yes, before I climb out of bed or brush my teeth, I have already read the morning gossip on my favorite social network. By the time I wake up, most of my friends with little ones have already completed a full morning of activities. I turn on the TV and flip straight to the Today show. I make sure to catch up on the morning’s headlines as I rush to get dressed. My Twitter time usually comes while I wait on the dogs to do their thing before dashing out the door.

From the parking lot of our office, I am “checking in” on Foursquare. I have to keep my check-ins at this location high so I can remain the mayor! From my desk, I get started by opening my e-mail again and logging onto PoV’s Facebook account to approve our daily friend requests. (We ♥ our friends!)

At this point my day is completely taken over by technology and the Internet since most of our freelance writers and photographers communicate through e-mail. During press week for this issue, I actually utilized the headphones that came with my iPhone to be able to talk to people, interview them and type at the same time. Through the introduction of Skype, I can hold meetings at anytime and everyone can still attend.

Our office could literally operate from anywhere with an Internet connection. It’s amazing how far things have come in just the three years of PoV’s existence. We are constantly upgrading and moving forward. I’m lucky enough to work in an office that encourages the use of social media to stay on top of what’s happening in our community and works hard to best equip us to bring you all the stories you love.

And if that means I slip in a little personal time to let you know where I am eating lunch, or what I think a certain football quarterback should name his son (Blair is the best ‘B’ name ever, in case you were wondering), oh well. You are probably sneaking on to Facebook at work to read it anyway!

What would you do?

What would you do?

A simple question, but with such a complicated answer.

I was flipping channels the other night and found myself pausing to watch "Primetime's What Would You Do?" series. The basic run-down of the show is that they hire actors to create scenarios that place on-lookers in the position to either act or just stand-by. The scenarios run the gamut from bullying, to abuse, to drunk driving and more.

The first one that caught my eye was quick to make those same eyes cry. The scenario was an obese, young woman sitting on a bench on a beach boardwalk, reading a book, minding her own business. A group of women her own age walk up, start laughing and pointing and then proceed to call her names and generally make fun of her. It was amazing to see what the general public's response was to this upsetting scene. Overwhelmingly, people stopped and told the young ladies to move along, quit teasing, etcetera. Some originally passed the group up, only to turn around and say something.

I was glued to the show. As you can imagine, thanks to the imaginations of TV writers, the scenarios that were presented to the viewing public just got worse and worse. The show made its intended mark on me. The entire time I watched, I found myself asking, would I stop? Would I help him/her? Would it be safe for me to offer help?

I also began to question the incentive behind the proposed actions. WHY would I choose to help? What is it in a person that makes them want to help another in need? Naturally, the show's producers were always quick to ask that of the people who stopped to help. Mostly, people had no answer. They just stuttered things like, "I don't know. She needed help. So I helped." In some cases, people stopped because they knew someone that had been in that situation or they themselves had been there.

I don't really want to get into the psychology of the issue; I'm sure delving into the human psyche is a much deeper read than you care for, but it is a really fascinating issue. Strangers stopping to help strangers...why? Is it something we are taught to do? Or do we just subconsciously believe in karma? Perhaps we act selfishly, hoping that if the time comes when we need the help of a stranger, one is there and willing.

I can actually say there have been many times where I have offered my assistance to a stranger in need. Looking back, I'm not always sure there was a true motive behind my actions. A time or two I could actually kick myself for offering assistance. "Self, WHAT were you THINKING? You could have been shot! You are a single, young female. ARE YOU STUPID?" But my mouth usually is quick to speak up before my brain has a chance to work through the possible consequences.

There is one instance I would love to recall for you. Picture a young, 17 year old Mary, a freshman at LSU in 1998, stopping to put gas in my car at lunchtime at busy gas station. There was car parked at the pump next to me with a young man and an older man, both dressed in business suits. They had two flats on their very expensive car. The young man was fussing to the older man about his phone being dead and mentioning that they were very late for their meeting. Without missing a beat, I opened my big mouth and offered the use of my phone. The young man declined, replying that were just going to begin walking the several blocks to get to the restaurant where their meeting was being held. Have I mentioned that it was a scorching August day? I immediately insisted that they get in, I was driving them to their destination. The young man glanced at the older man, who by this time was actually beginning to get into my SUV, and agreed that a ride would be wonderful.

Off we went, to the restaurant for the meeting. The young man did use my phone to make a call about their car while the older gentleman actually spoke to me. He explained that they were just in town for the day, for this meeting, and that he really appreciated my kindness. He was from New Orleans and knew that kind strangers are often hard to come by. I replied that I probably should have known better, single girl, all alone, offering a ride to two men? I laughed, mentioning that my dad would probably kill me for offering a ride to strangers. The man laughed with me and said that my dad had obviously raised a smart one, considering I picked up two well-dressed men! We arrived at the restaurant, where they expressed their thanks and got out. The older man walked straight in but the younger man signaled for me to roll down my window. He offered to pay me for me troubles, which I quickly refused. He then handed me a business card and said, "If you even run into trouble in New Orleans, please give Mr. Connick a call."

The silver-haired man I had just chauffeured to Ruth Chris's was none other than Harry Connick, Sr., then district attorney of New Orleans.

September's Vue from the Trenches

Ohhh...ughh...Yes, you heard correctly. Those are the sounds of me growing older. This September I become a member of the 30-year-old club. Yeouch! I can remember when turning 30 seemed so far away. I used to think surely I would turn 30, become an adult and
magically have the secrets of life figured out.

*Fast-forward to present day.*

While I will greet my birthday with happiness and health, while cheering the Saints on to a season-opening victory, life is still a mystery to me. But, oh what a beautiful mystery it is! I love waking every day, never sure what God has in store for me.

We have the honor of sharing with you in PoV this month, the story of Mr. Louis Lee, who on his September birthday will be 100 years young. Suddenly, my turning thirty seems to be just a small milestone when you look at the bigger picture. I only hope to live my life as fully as he has lived his.

August's Vue from the Trenches

In August's issue of PoV Magazine, we ran a feature called "Why Louisiana Matters." I thought I might like to include a bit of that on here.

On April 20, an explosion 40 miles off our coast significantly changed our lives forever. This explosion triggered a man-made disaster that has not only threatened to destroy out coast, but our way of life as well. This oil leak has affected everything from our fishing industry to a vast majority of our jobs to our beach's summer tourism dollars.

Here in Louisiana, we are a fighting people. We are strong, both in our minds and in our will to keep on. Even as outside forces threaten to destroy all that we love about this place we call home, we push on. We fight back. Our people do not hesitate to pick themselves up and continue to forge on.

This month (Aug) we asked Louisianians to tell us why they choose to live and thrive in our great state- why they wake every morning determined to make a living here rather than anywhere else in the world.

We are proud to share with you, "Why Louisiana Matters."

For my note, I wrote the following:

When I was an intern for a local Congressman in Washington D.C., years ago, I remember the first question always asked when meeting someone new in this melting pot of the nation was: “Where are you from?” There was always a certain pride that welled up in me when I responded “Houma, Louisiana! Yes, something exists south of New Orleans!”

Other people were always so fascinated by our area and our culture. From our love of food and music, to the over 85 festivals held annually, to our need to celebrate the smallest of things for weeks at a time, there is always something to do in Louisiana. Being the most naturally bountiful state in the union truly gives us a lot to celebrate!

It also gives us something to fight for. The desire to protect our state and her beautiful wetlands that provide so much for so many is necessary. The dream to pass all this culture on to my children someday lights a fire in me to continue to stay involved, stay educated on the issues and make sure that my voice is heard. There is no place like Houma!