Welcome to Anniston (part 1)...

My mom, brother and sister came to Anniston for a visit this weekend, and we had a fun-filled visit. Surprisingly, we were able to find enough activities to occupy us all in this area.

After lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Frontera, we took a drive around town, and wound up at Anniston's own winery, White Oak Vineyard. The winery is privately owned, and the wine is absolutely delicious. Plus, the scenery is wonderful!


After a tour of the very uninteresting town of Heflin, we found an overlook near our house in the national wildlife refuge.



Nathaniel was able to run around and get dirty...



Julianne found some pretty leaves...



And, we managed not to get blown up!


Next, we went to the Anniston Natural History Museum to see "A T-Rex Named Sue."


We amused ourselves by growling like lions...



Running from bears...



And, from elephants (sorry, no tigers).



All told, we had a great time.

Mom has pictures of the rest of our adventures. I will continue this story when she recovers from the 10-hour drive, and posts her pictures!

A glimpse at Anniston schools...

Parental involvement is awful in Anniston's schools. All are failing, and people are fleeing the district.

Still, there are glimmers of hope. Here is a brief story I wrote after attending a parent-student breakfast at Anniston Middle School at 7 a.m. today. (Yuck!)

There would be photos, but my camera malfunctioned, so, sadly, I got nothing!

* A side-note: Only 45% of parents attended mandatory parent-teacher conferences at Anniston Middle in February. Far fewer actually volunteer in the schools.

Anna Delgadillo struggles to communicate in English. Her son, 12-year-old Ramon, often speaks for her.

But one thing that needs no translation is Delgadillo’s love and concern for her Anniston Middle School sixth-grader.

Although the Spanish-speaker has difficulty making herself understood, she knows the value of parental involvement. It’s why she and Ramon dined with about 50 others Thursday, at 7 a.m., at Anniston Middle’s mother-student breakfast.

“I want to start knowing people, and getting to know the school better,” Ramon translates for his mother. “I want to have more interest in (Ramon’s) education.”

Their mix of ages, races and backgrounds may have been diverse, but parents’ reasons for attending breakfast at Anniston Middle strung together a common bond.

“I never really got the chance to come visit the school before, so I took this opportunity,” said Shamica Bradford, mom to seventh-grader Alexis, 12.

“You hear a lot of stuff about Anniston Middle School, so it was important for me to come and visit to see for myself.”

Bradford’s verdict: “So far, so good.”

Organizers began the breakfast with a prayer, asking for a better year at the middle school. School officials have labored to improve the students’ grades and increase parental involvement in recent years, to no avail.

Maybe this year will be different.

“Mothers are the backbone of the family,” Anniston Middle Principal Lynwood Hawkins told attendees Thursday. “You never know the heights your child can reach.

“I ask you to please stay involved with your children, and help them to succeed.”

At the end of the meal, students gave their parents reasons to keep coming back to the school. About a dozen volunteers rose to tell attendees what their mothers mean to them.

“I love my mom, because she keeps a roof over my head, and clothes on my back,” said sixth-grader Dominique Thomas, 11.

Ramon, smiling at his mother, was among the first to volunteer. He kept his words about his mother simple, so she could understand them.

“She’s always there for me when I need her.”

Savann-ahhhhh...

Jeremy and I spent the weekend in Savannah, Ga., with our great friends, Larry and Deirdre. Here's a fun recap:

We began the night peacefully at Bernie's, where the enchanting sounds of kareoke magic pulled us in.



Soon, we couldn't help but join in the fun. Larry brought down the house with a horrible rendition of "I Wanna Come Over," by Melissa Etheridge. And by horrible, I mean FANTASTIC!


On Friday, we spent the afternoon walking and riding around town. We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Huey's on the Riverfront, and then went on a trolley tour. And, of course, a little more drinkin'!!



Next, we went on a haunted pub crawl. As you can see, the spirits were with us!

(OK, maybe the guy taking the picture was smoking... Who knows?)



Some of us handle our booze and ghosts better than others...



On Saturday, we had WAY too much fun at the Jepson Museum downtown. I was enthralled by the work of Philip Morsberger, an artist whose display of works representing the 1960s were incredible, particularly this one:

Hey, Let's Have Some Red Man! Depicting the trial of the Mississippi sheriff laughing at charges of violating the civil rights of three men murdered by the Klu Klux Klan.



We also had fun in the interactive part of the museum:



That night, we enjoyed our last evening in Savannah at the Moon River Pub, sampling their fine micro brews.



We ended our weekend with a wonderful picnic in Forsythe Park, complete with fried chicken and mashed potatoes from Paula Dean's restaurant, Lady & Sons. All told, it was a fantastic weekend, filled with great food, great friends, and incredible sites.

You CAN go home again...

For most of my young life, I struggled to define my location as "home." I feared calling Raleigh, N.C., my home, because so much of me was still in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and vice versa. Plus, with parents who both regarded me as part of their homes, how could I possibly choose?

It wasn't until I went to work at Disney World that I discovered the home I had been looking for had been right under my nose for nearly four years. When asked to give our hometown (so it could be printed on our nametags), the answer came without hesitation: Boone, N.C.


I spent four years (and one very warm summer) at Appalachian State University, from 1998-2002. It was, without question, the best time of my life. At Appalachian, I found a home, because I was constantly surrounded by friends who were closer than sisters. My residence hall buddies literally became my family, and, as a result of my devotion to them and my school, I became active in just about every on-campus leadership organization: the newspaper, radio station, campus resident association executive board, student government, and so on.

Appalachian and my family there became my passion, and I owe all of my current success, both professional and personal, to the lessons I learned and opportunities afforded me there.

It is that passion that made my trip back home for Homecoming this past weekend so sweet.

Jeremy and I spent Friday catching up with old friends at the Daniel Boone Inn, where you stuff yourself sick on fried Southern food, served family style. As if our bellies weren't full enough, we carried the party over to a new bar, called The Library (cleverly named so any charges on your credit card will look to your parents as though you were buying things at the school library).


We enjoyed dangerous 3-foot tall beers (including one skunky one chosen by my husband!), and stumbled back to the hotel around 1 a.m. Word to the wise, avoid any beer with the word "Mountain" in the title that is made in Winston Salem!


Saturday, our friends and I attended the Homecoming football game, but not before hitting my favorite restaurant, The Black Cat. It is a cool little whole in the wall that serves delicious chicken nachos!


We also made our rounds at the various stores, and marvelled about how much the campus has changed.

Then, it was onto the game, where Appalachian (in true champion form) beat Gardner Webb 45-7. Ouch!


At the end of the evening, we enjoyed a nice dinner at Outback, catching up on old times, and enjoying new ones. I miss everyone already! I can't wait to go back next year! (Please, Jeremy...!!!)


Another word to the wise, when applying fake tatoos to your face, always remember to apply sunscreen as well. I'm still sporting the vague outline of an "A" on my right cheek!

Rubbing elbows (and lobster claws)...

Last week my classmates and I got the opportunity to meet two highly respected authors in our field of study, journalism.

Rick Bragg, a former New York Times feature writer and author of the memoir, All Over But the Shoutin', took us out to lunch at a fish house in Birmingham. Mr. Bragg is now a professor at the University of Alabama. He is originally from Anniston, and he filled Jeremy in on the ins and outs here in town.

Mr. Bragg brought with him his friend, reknowned author and former New York Times editor Bill Kovach. We talked with Mr. Kovach about his book, The Elements of Journalism, in which he and a partner lay out the principles good journalists should follow during their careers.




(From left) Jeremy, Anne Anderson, Emily Amick, Bill Kovach, Sandra Martinez, Rick Bragg, Andrea Young, me, Cassandra Mickens, and Christina Smith.



This program is great, because no where else could we get the opportunity to pick the top minds in our field, face-to-face. Hopefully, when this program is complete, we will have made a great number of contacts, and will have a wealth of experience to take with us into the field.

Maybe with some chili, too...

More puppy pictures, since they seem to be a big hit!

(Let me know when you get sick of seeing Nacho pictures! I won't stop posting them, but I'll note your angst!)





A sleepy little Nacho (or, as we like to call him, Country Bear!).



















Up close and personal with Oscar!









Some cutie pies actually behaving (for once!).

I'm no Coppola...

Check out the video I had to make for my production class. You'll get a chance to meet my classmates here.

Everyone got the same video, but got to edit them differently. You can check out Jeremy's version on his blog, http://fourthestater.blogspot.com/.

Best with cheese...

I've been having some problems getting pictures of Nacho up on the blog, so I'm going to try a few more.





Nacho playing with his new toy, compliments of our friend, Anne, as Oscar looks on enviously. (Oscar stole it moments later, and has yet to give it back.)














Nacho gets his first bath (much to his chagrin!).










Nacho is doing very well. He went to the vet yesterday and got all of his puppy shots and pills. He and Oscar play non-stop, and are having a ball.


We're still working on the potty training, of course. We came home to quite a mess today (be glad we don't have pictures of that!).


We're all getting used to our new family life. It's nice to have two snuggle bugs again! We can't wait to show off the pups to all of you!

Pitter patter...

After losing Pickle, we knew our family would never be the same. His place in our hearts will remain his forever and ever.

Still, we knew there would be room in our hearts and homes for another dog someday. Today is that day.

Please say hello to Nacho Pickle Cox, the newest member of our little family.


We met Nacho yesterday while we were walking Oscar around a lake in Oxford, just outside our hometown of Anniston. He is a 10-week-old, red dachshund, with one brown eye and one blue eye. His owners, a nice, young couple, do not have room in their small apartment for another dog (they own Nacho's mom and dad). They wanted a good home for the pup, and we are fortunate enough to be able to give it to him.

His big brother, Oscar, has already taken to him. The pair was inseparable from the moment Nacho arrived. They played outside for 15 minutes, and both are now napping!

I believe in serendipity. I'm not sure Jeremy and I were quite ready to open our hearts to another dog yet. We had planned to wait until Christmas before getting another dog.

But I believe in the mysterious ways of fate, and when fate plunks something obvious in your lap, you have to take the chance. Maybe we are not quite ready, but Oscar most certainly was. He needs companionship, and Nacho has helped fill that hole for him.

As I said, nothing and no one will ever take Pickle's place. We just want to share the love we gave him when he was with us as best we can. Hopefully, we'll be the best parents to Nacho and Oscar that we can possibly be.

Keeping you on the edge of your seat...

Hopefully, I'll have a big announcement tomorrow... If my husband doesn't beat me to the punch, as always!

And NO, I'm not pregnant! Crazy people...

She ain't heavy, she's my T-Rex...

Jeremy and I visited the Anniston Natural History Museum today, which now includes the famous exhibit, "A T-Rex Named Sue." It was a small town museum, but still an enjoyable experience.

For a short time, I actually entertained the idea of becoming an archeologist, which is why exhibits such as these interest me. After one archeology course, and one evening the lab cleaning rocks, that dream was quickly dismissed. Still, the findings of others intrigue me.


I was a little disappointed to discover the bones of the most completed T-Rex on exhibit today (90% complete skeleton) were not the real bones. Although, I suppose it would be unreasonable to expect the Chicago museum that owns the real bones to send out their $8.6 million prized possession on tour!

Even though they weren't the real thing, it was still neat to see that 42-foot long, 13-foot tall monster up close and personal. I would recommend the experience to anyone in the area.


The rest of the museum was semi-interesting. A small Egyptian exhibit featured two mummies, and a few artifacts.


But the main attractions were the stuffed animals. Birds, bears, snakes, bugs. They were everywhere. Taxidermy is of little interest to me, so I moved on.


Despite the modest collection, I enjoyed myself. It was nice to spend a day outside of the wild world of journalism.

Oh, did I mention the visit was partially for a journalism school assignment? Oh well...

So far, so good...

Yesterday, Jeremy and I celebrated 6 months of marriage.

Phew!

I feel like I have learned a lot during the past 6 months. But the key lesson I have learned is that there is still so much to learn.

Jeremy and I had been together a little more than 3 years when we got married on March 24. We had been living together for almost 2 years. We knew each other so well, probably better than we knew ourselves.

How could marriage possibly change anything?

Our lives, on the surface, remained the same. Same home, same jobs, same amount of time together. Yet, there was a unique change, imperceptible to anyone but us.

We knew each other so well prior to being married. But we didn't know ourselves in these new identities of husband and wife.

Who is Jennifer Cox? I didn't meet her until March 24, and I'm still working to figure it out.



As spouses, we are forced to think of each other. Every decision I make isn't just about me anymore; I have a family to think of. My actions, my thoughts will forevermore affect someone else, and his actions will always affect me.

I would be lying if I said everything has been easy. We're still adjusting to this purely unselfish lifestyle. But I think we're finding a nice balance.

Marriage, for us, has been fantastic. It has been a journey filled with love and mutual respect. And, it has been a very welcome challenge. That's what keeps life interesting.

I can't wait to see what the next 6 months, and 60 years, have in store for us. As we grow in age, we must strive to grow in understanding, and to evolve together. We must remember the overwhelming love we shared on our wedding day, and every day since.

Turn, Turn, Turn...

I've spent an unfortunate amount of time talking about loss lately. But it seems whenever one light burns out, another brightens the dark.

With that in mind, I can think of no better time to reveal two thrilling pieces of news: Val and Alex are both pregnant!

Most of you know Val: my aunt/sister. We grew up together, and are only 5 years apart. She and her husband, Mark, were married in June, and live near Orlando. They couldn't be more thrilled, and I couldn't be more excited at the prospect of being an aunt in May!

Me receiving the news while walking at Mount Cheaha!

Val is an incredible third grade teacher. The way she connects with her students while maintaining her role as an authority figure is excellent.

Since we were kids, she has always looked out for me, and, whether I liked it or not, she has taken charge. She's watched over my younger cousins since they were born, and helped them all with anything they have ever needed.

Obviously, there is no doubt in my mind that she'll be a fantastic mother.

My somewhat adopted sister, Alex, and her husband, Adam, are expecting their second child in January. They've been so great with Tyler (Tyler Monster to me!), and I know they'll be just as wonderful with their second little boy!

Tyler Monster!

Mom, Alex & Me!











Please join me in congratulating them both! I'll make sure to post their progress, starting now:

What Val's baby looks like -- 7 weeks old!
(Not the actual baby!)