My, How Time Flies

Today it officially hit me...my little man turns the big 2 on Saturday. Can you believe it? Two years old. It amazes me how much time flies, and how much changes in just two years.

My kid amazes me every single day. I know that any parent in their right mind would say that about their kid...but I'm pretty sure my kid is more amazing than anyone else's. I won't bore you with all the hows. I'm not here to brag, anyway...that much.

Two years ago today I was hugely pregnant and dying to have this baby already. Little did I know that in just two days my water would break at work, and off to the hospital I would go. Eighteen hours later my firstborn would enter the world and change my life forever.


Price, 1 day old, and his daddy

And now here I am. So much has happened in the last two years, and I'm so glad I've taken thousands of pictures and written everything down to help me remember. Now my chief worries are potty training and trying to keep swear words out of his vocabulary for as long as possible.


(yeah, he'll hate me for this someday)

He is a major fan of Sesame Street, and I'm excited to be throwing him a Sesame Street-themed party on Saturday. I've been in a tizzy all week getting everything ready. Wanna see?

First, the invitation:



And the decorations. There isn't much variety in official Sesame Street party gear out there, it turns out. But we make do, right?



And finally, the part I am most excited about. Rather than a regular cake, I've decided to go all-out creative for this most special of occasions. I'm going to make Sesame Street character cupcakes! I know, I know, it's a drastic undertaking, but I'm prepared. I took Friday off of work to make sure I would have plenty of time. I scoured every store in a 15-mile radius for just the exact right sprinkles to decorate them. And this is what I hope they end up looking like:





I'm excited to do something creative for my little man's party. I always think it means so much more when a little love and elbow grease go into something for someone you love. And I do love my little man!

Stay tuned for pics from the big day!

You Are The Master Of Your Destiny

I ran across the coolest story on CNN.com today. It's a great example of how someone is making the most of a terrible situation in this bad economy.

24-year-old Brianna Karp of Southern California was laid off from her job as an executive assistant a year ago July. Since then she has been unable to find a job and lost her apartment. She had been given a camper trailer by her father, and, along with her dog and her laptop, set up in an L.A.-area Walmart parking lot. Not the most ideal circumstance for anyone.

Se is educated, she is smart -- and although she's homeless, she isn't a bum. She started blogging.

Brianna has captured the attention of higher-ups at Elle magazine and scored an internship with E. Jean Carroll and as a guest writer spot on their blog. Her boyfriend was once homeless in Scotland and also blogs about his experiences. Although she isn't out of her hole yet, life is looking up for her.

And I think that is just fantastic! This is what I call creative problem-solving. Brianna and Matt are dedicated to homeless advocacy, and I'm so inspired, I just had to share. Follow the links and read the stories!

If They Can Find Jaycee, We Can Find Jacob.

I don't know about you, but I have been entranced by the story of Jaycee Lee Dugard, kidnapped from North Lake Tahoe in 1991 at the age of 11. 18 years later, she has been found alive and well in Northern California. I love happy endings like this.

Stories like this always make me think of Jacob Wetterling, who was kidnapped at gunpoint from St. Joseph, MN in October 1989 - also at the age of 11. I vividly remember when this happened. I was 13 years old, and this story was huge news for a very long time. St. Joe is a small town, and things like this - a seemingly random gunpoint kidnapping of a child - just doesn't happen in a place like St. Joe. Jacob was with his younger brother and another friend, on his way home from the store. The kidnapper took Jacob and let his brother and the friend go. Nearly twenty years have passed without sign of Jacob, dead or alive.



Jacob's kidnapping also changed Halloween for us Minnesota kids forever. Suddenly you saw many more parents accompanying their kids out trick-or-treating. Kids learned to only approach houses where the front light was on. Everyone was pretty fearful that first Halloween after Jacob's disappearance, and not much has changed in 20 years, as the media has made access to information about kidnapped children a lot easier to come by.

Jacob would be 31 years old now. His parents, Patty and Jerry, still live in the same house and have the same phone number. I can't even imagine what Jacob's poor parents have endured -- Patty Wetterling has channeled her grief and energy into advocating for children's safety. She is an amazingly strong woman, and I hope she sees her son again.

Now, since Jaycee has been found, I think again about poor Jacob. Is he stashed away in some deranged psychopath's barn, basement, or backyard? What has he had to endure? Has he been tortured, sexually abused, brainwashed? Is he walking around out there in plain sight, not remembering who he really is? Is he dead, his body so well-hidden that nobody will ever find it? Jaycee's story inspires hope that Jacob may also be alive and well out there somewhere. If they can find Jaycee, we should damn well be able to find Jacob. Really, all it takes is one person to notice and report something suspicious. Minnesotans, keep your eyes and ears open!